Physical Education Meets Project Based Learning at Episcopal

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Where can you kayak, learn to fly fish, test your physical fitness and have fun all at the same time?  Episcopal physical education classes offer all of this and so much more.  

At Episcopal, our physical education teachers work hand-in-hand with classroom teachers to extend project based learning onto the court, the track or trail and even into the pool.  Our goal is to get kids moving, expose them to new activities, and encourage them to do their best while having a great time.

We achieve this by finding creative ways to infuse what many think of as PE with classroom learning.  For example, we play Spell Checker Tag using the students’ spelling words of the week. Students must correctly spell a word to be unfrozen once tagged. We also play math games that students solve to determine which activity they’ll do on our exercise wall.  

We’ve tagged the middle of the week as Wellness Wednesday.  On these days we focus on our fitness goals and work throughout the year to achieve them.  Over the course of the year we track students’ progress and celebrate with them as they build stamina and endurance.  Since the implementation of Wellness Wednesday five years ago, we have seen an overall increase in the students’ fitness levels and an “I can do it” attitude among those who have worked hard to reach their goal.

Physical education is not limited to the playing field.  Our instructors play a vital role in the project based learning activities for each Lower School grade level.  The Healthy Selves project introduces first graders to everything from first aid tips to the annual mini-triathlon which has them biking, running and swimming.  We help the second graders bring Charlotte’s Web to life each fall with a country fair, complete with horse lassoing, sack and wheelbarrow racing and a friendly game of horse shoes.  Each spring our students become NASA astronauts for the day, donning “spacesuits” and participating in agility, balance, endurance, strength and flexibility stations. In third grade we teach students the fun of Cajun dancing during their Louisiana studies and in the fourth grade we promote outdoor adventure during the National Parks study unit.  

In the midst of all of this we continue to offer activities that boost skills and promote movement such as hockey, cup stacking, basketball and tennis. We believe that exposure to a variety of activities helps students discover their passions and boost their self-confidence as they learn a new skill.

On a very basic level, physical education (exercise) plays a critical role in a child’s development.  Research shows that active children perform better in school and in life.  To ensure our students receive a well-rounded education that includes physical activity, we make it a point to provide physical education five days a week.  This seems to accurately reflect the school’s mission - to nurture and develop the whole child – spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically and artistically.  
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We hope you will join us in encouraging physical activity among your family. Try Spell Checker Tag for homework. Go on family walks or bike rides.  Cheer on your child as they work toward a fitness goal.  Make exercise an integral part of your family life.

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​Heidi Hebert

Heidi Hebert joined the Episcopal physical education faculty in the fall of 2000.  She currently serves in a multitude of roles including the Physical Education Department Chair, middle school softball coach and coordinator, head varsity softball coach, aquatics director and summer sports camp coordinator. Heidi earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Mississippi College.  She is committed to physical education, also serving as a certified Pilates instructor, an active member of LAHPERD, and SHAPE America.  Heidi and her husband Jeff have one son, Andrew, also an Episcopal Knight.