Medfield's Tatro, Elementary PE Teacher of the Year in 2020

2020 Award Recipients Honored on March 13, 2022...

Medfield's Rob Tatro, 2020 (MAHPERD)Elementary PE Teacher of the Year

Rob Tatro has been the elementary physical education/wellness teacher at the Sunita Williams Elementary School (formerly the Hillside Elementary School) in Needham for the past 19 years. He started his career as an elementary and adapted physical education teacher in the Scituate Public Schools prior to coming to Needham and his career spans
23 years in total.

Rob graduated from Bridgewater State College in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Physical Education. He completed his Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Lesley University in 2000. Rob is the most senior member of his elementary physical education department in Needham and recognizes that his current and former department colleagues have all had meaningful impacts in his development as a physical educator. He has served as a mentor for the Needham Public Schools for many of his current and former elementary physical education
colleagues over the years and has worked closely with Dr. Deb Sheehey and Dr. Karen Richardson in the development of their student teachers in both the pre-practicum and practicum settings at Bridgewater State University.

Within the Needham Public Schools, Rob has been a leader within the specialist community and recently served on Needham’s district negotiation committee to help advocate for specialist area teacher interests. As a result of his work there, he now chairs a districtwide elementary specialist scheduling committee which is tasked on working with administrators to help develop guidelines that will support the creation of fair and equitable elementary specialist schedules moving
forward.

Outside of his district, Rob recently presented two educational gymnastic progression presentations with dozens of his students at the annual MAHPERD convention in the fall of 2018 and is hoping to bring these presentations to the SHAPE national convention in Baltimore 2021.
He is also currently working on an article he hopes to submit for publication with SHAPE (the Society of Health and Physical Education) detailing his work in the Crossfit community as a certified Crossfit Kids and Level One Crossfit Instructor.

Rob has been a leader in the field of recreation as well, firstly in his hometown of Medfield where he as served as an elected Medfield Park and Recreation Commissioner for the past seven years and secondly in the sport of disc golf holding several leadership positions such as the Past President and Past Vice President of the New England Flying Disc Association as well as being an appointed member of the Borderland Disc Golf Committee.

Outside of school, Rob is the loving husband of his wife Sharon of 21 years and is the proud father of his son Scott (20) who enters his sophomore year at Bentley University and his daughter Rachel (18) who enters her freshman year at the Rhode Island School of Design. Together they enjoy being season ticket holders of the New England Patriots, traveling all over the country trying to visit each of the 30 MLB stadiums (16 down, 14 to go), while taking their adventures abroad in
search of memories and experiences which will last them more than a lifetime.

Massachusetts for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) Awards:

The 2020 awardees were honored at a reception with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments on the Springfield College Campus, March 13th at 3:00pm.

2020 Award Recipients

Mary Connolly - Joseph McKenney Award

Carol Manning - Honor Award

Sheryl Hall - Sheryl Hall Distinguished Service Award (posthumously)

DCU Center Management & Personnel - Presidential Citation

Dr. Mimi Murray - Presidential Citation

Rob Tatro - Elementary Physical Educator of the Year

Sarah Bixby-Centric - Secondary Physical Educator of the Year

Jeff Bartlett - Health Educator of the Year

Philip Leonard - Adapted Physical Educator of the Year