Terry Gendron has been named Middle School Teacher of the Year by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYS AHPERD).
The award honors individuals for excellence in teaching and overall performance in the disciplines of physical education at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, adapted physical education, middle school and high school health education, and dance education.
“To be honored in this way by my PE colleagues from across the state is a huge compliment,” Gendron said.
Gendron is a graduate of Cohoes High School and is entering her 29th year as a physical education teacher in the district. Her last four years were spent at Cohoes Middle School after teaching at Abram Lansing Elementary School for more than two decades.
According to Gendron, physical activity is especially important to prioritize and maintain as the community deals with the pandemic.
“Moving your body and getting exercise releases endorphins to your brain that make you happy. We can all use that right now,” she said. “Just going for a walk can reduce stress.”
Gendron noted that making physical education fun for all students is always at the forefront of her approach to teaching.
“My main mission is making sure that students enjoy being physically active while incorporating lifelong skills like teamwork and problem solving,” she said.
During the 2019-20 school year, Gendron helped implement “Golf in Schools,” a grant-funded program, at the middle school. She was also responsible for the delivery of more than 30 sports-related books from the Library of Congress, which were brought to the middle school personally by Congressman Paul Tonko.
Gendron will be presented with the Teacher of the Year Award at the NYS AHPERD annual conference, which was rescheduled from November to March due to coronavirus.