WYO PETe and WAHPERD: Origin, Development, and Successes of a Great Western Alliance

Abstract

This article describes a successful Wyoming partnership recently developed between the long-standing Wyoming Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (WAHPERD) and the newly founded Wyoming Physical Education Teaching (WYO PETe) Collaborative. The organization leaders engaged in extended discussion about how this multi-sector partnership could collaborate to offer Wyoming physical educators a range of professional development (PD) opportunities that meets their individual needs and the unique barriers they face. The decision to combine efforts resulted in WAHPERD and WYO PETe expanding PD opportunities at state convention and throughout the year. The partnership also saw multiple inservice physical educators joining with university faculty and graduate students to form a WAHPERD Advocacy Committee to survey Wyoming physical education and physical activity policy implementation and develop advocacy tools and guidance documents for teachers to use in their districts. The partnership also led to an annual WAHPERD hosted student event called Healthy Kids Roundup that empowers middle school students and their teachers to promote health and wellness in their schools.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ben D. Kern

Ben D. Kern ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY.

Paul R. Malinowski

Paul R. Malinowski is a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in Champaign, IL.

Deb Stephenson

Deb Stephenson is a health and physical education teacher with Sweetwater County School District #1 in Rock Springs, WY, and the executive director of the Wyoming Association for Health Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, WY.