NWC Adds Electives in Strength & Condition and Sports Medicine

Ashley Mara might be teaching brand new courses at Northwest Catholic, but she’s far from new to the West Hartford high school. A 2008 graduate and long-time field hockey and lacrosse coach at NWC, Mara is now on the faculty teaching two new classes that she designed.

Strength & Conditioning and Sports Medicine are new to Northwest Catholic’s expanding wellness program. The school already offers courses in Physical Education, Health, and Psychology. With Mara’s new classes, the school’s focus on student health and well-being has become even more pronounced.

Mara has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Central Connecticut State University. Before starting her teaching career at NWC this fall, Mara had worked as a strength and conditioning coach at CCSU, completed an internship in conditioning at Yale, coached the nationally-ranked Springfield College lacrosse team, and coached at the club level for LaxPlus. In addition to her work at NWC, she continues to train athletes at Foresi's Individualized Training in Southington, CT. Today Mara is putting her varied experiences and impressive credentials to good work at her alma mater.

In her Sports Medicine class, Mara is teaching everything from anatomy to nutrition. Right now the students are tackling injuries, one by one, learning about concussions, temperature-triggered ailments, ligament tears, and more. Soon they will learn how to tape, splint, and respond to a variety of sports injuries. The students will also earn CPR/First Aid/AED certification.

Mara admitted she wished she had had more background knowledge in health sciences when she was heading to CCSU ten years ago. She wants her students to have the foundation for further study in exercise sciences, and she wants them to know there are many career paths to consider. Mara teaches her students about various health professions, such as physical therapy, athletic training, and orthopedics. She opens their eyes to less familiar lines of work, such as becoming an occupational therapist or dietician. Her extensive curriculum includes bringing in guest speakers , and her professional connections at Central, University of Hartford, Springfield College, and UMASS Lowell provide her with a pool of experts to draw from.

According to Mara, one of the greatest benefits of studying exercise science might be a surprise. Of course, Mara is focused on the serious study of physiology and teaches her students about each muscle, what it does and how to strengthen it. She shows them how to build better bodies. But Mara is also showing them how to build confidence. Mara helps students learn how to handle stress, set goals, and pay attention to their mental health. Mara said, “I’m teaching the students how to treat their bodies, reminding them that their bodies are gifts from God. How they treat their bodies is their gift back to Him.” Mara continued, “But I’m also teaching them how to deal with stress, which is so important.” Lastly, Mara said emphatically, “I want kids to move! The research is clear — moving is good for learning!”

To design her curricula, Mara called on some of her favorite courses from CCSU, like Sports Psychology, and seminal texts, like The Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. Both Strength & Conditioning as well as Sports Medicine have quickly became favorites among the student body, and it’s no surprise why. Teenagers want to understand their bodies, minds, and spirits. Classes in wellness do exactly that.