Region 15 Teacher Named CT Middle School PE Teacher of the Year

SOUTHBURY/MIDDLEBURY, CT — Geri-Ann Ristow, a Physical Education teacher at Rochambeau Middle School (RMS) in Southbury, has been recognized as the 2017-18 Connecticut Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD). She was recognized at the Region 15 Board of Education meeting on September 11, 2017.

Ristow has been employed in Region 15 for the past 23 years, working concurrently as a Physical Education teacher and Intramural Director for Team Building at RMS. Throughout the years she has served as a coach for various sports including Freshman Volleyball, JV Basketball, Track and Field and Middle School softball.

She is described as an exemplary teacher who serves as a positive role model that epitomizes personal health and fitness for both her students and colleagues, school officials said in a news release.

Ristow is recognized for her real life application of health and fitness, developing lessons and activities that reflect the choices people experience when making decisions about how to engage in a healthy lifestyle. Her focus on the enjoyment of the activity and sensitivity to the physical and emotional needs of all students is purposefully planned, officials said.

Beyond the classroom and sports fields, Ristow is involved with curriculum development across the Region, works with the RMS Parent Teacher Organization to coordinate events, and organizes the annual Get Fit challenge for RMS faculty and staff who make a commitment to get healthy.

“As a physical educator my role is to encourage and motivate students to be active today and in the future. The Region 15 community fosters a love of learning and along with my colleagues and department, we develop physical education lessons that allow students to live a healthy lifestyle and apply what they are learning to themselves -a valuable approach to physical education and fitness training at the middle school level,” said Ristow in a prepared statement released by the school district.

Ristow will be recognized at the CTAPHERD annual fall conference on November 16th, 2017 in Cromwell, CT.

Photo (Geri Ristow and Students): Geri-Ann Ristow, Physical Education teacher at Rochambeau Middle School in Southbury was recently recognized as the 2017-18 Connecticut Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD). Pictured with 8th grade students (L-R): Ristow, Katie Sheehan, Skye Nagashima, and Reilly Burke during physical education class.