Powers, from North Little Rock, Ark., completed his student-teaching with the Clarksville School District.

“I was in the junior high for half of my internship and in the primary (elementary) for the other half,” said Powers, who graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors. “It was a great learning experience for me to get to see everything that is involved with every-day teaching.”

Brill, from Siloam Springs, Ark., earned a minor in health sciences in addition to his physical education major. He also has plans to earn a coaching endorsement. He spent his year student-teaching in Russellville Middle School.

Physical Education majors and December 2013 graduates Mitchell Powers and Nick Brill credited the year-long student-teaching internships for preparing them for a career in teaching and coaching.

“I started in the spring semester and was able to observe 60 hours and teach a few lessons to help prepare myself for the entire semester of student-teaching,” Brill explained. “This fall, I was able to student-teach every single day for 16 weeks. I also helped out with the 7th grade football team and the high school football team.”

Powers and Brill, who were both all-conference baseball players during their time at Ozarks,  said spending so much time in the classroom re-affirmed their decisions to pursue a career in teaching and coaching.

“I enjoyed being in the classroom and helping students pursue a healthier lifestyle,” Brill said. “I realized that the hard work and long hours that I put in outside the classroom and away from the field were made worth it in the classroom and on the field.”

Powers agreed.  “I loved getting to work with the other teachers and coaches during the semester, and they gave me some great advice along the way,” he said.

Both graduates credited the relationships with their Ozarks professors for being well-prepared to enter their respective classrooms.

“I think that the personal relationships I built with the professors in the education program have been most beneficial to me,” Power said. “The professors at Ozarks taught me so much about what to expect in the classroom, but they also are just great individuals who made such a positive impact on me. I will carry that into my own classroom.”

According to Brill, he felt better prepared than interns from other institutions who were working alongside him.

“Since I was at Russellville Middle School, there were a few interns from another institution and I could easily see that I was more prepared than they were,” he said. “I could handle classroom management and discipline situations more successfully. I also felt like my lesson plans and lessons were more beneficial for the students. All this was made possible by the great education I received in Ozarks’ education program.”

As recent graduates, Brill and Powers highly recommend Ozarks’ teacher education program and the invaluable professors who made such an impact in their lives.

“Any student interested in education should consider the education program at Ozarks, because there are no better professors you could choose,” Powers said. “The one-on-one relationships and education you receive are indescribable and have ultimately shaped me into the person I am today,” Powers said.

Brill also credited faculty members for helping him navigate through a college career that included a change of majors.

“The advisors that I had were more than willing to help me from my freshman year all the way to my senior year,” he said. “I began my Ozarks career as a biology major, and my advisor helped me transition into the education as a freshman. As a senior, that same advisor helped me through job searching and is still doing everything he possibly can for me.”

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The University’s Board of Trustees approved the new health sciences major and outdoor leadership minor and changes to the PE program during its annual Spring meeting in April. The changes will be included in the 2013-2014 university catalog.

Brett Stone, assistant professor of health and physical education, spearheaded the efforts to update the PE curriculum and institute the health science major. He said the impetus behind the changes is to better prepare students for applicable careers.

"For several years, the physical education major at the U of O has offered two directions for students to follow: a teaching track or a non-teaching track. Both tracks of study, however, required methodology courses which were designed to prepare students for the professional dispositions and competencies expected of public school physical education teachers and did not prepare students for a career in physical education outside a public school setting," Stone explained.

Stone, who is completing requirements for his Ph.D., said the new PE curriculum removes those methodology courses as requirements, so students interested in careers other than teaching can pursue more applicable content-specific courses. The methodology courses will still be available as electives for students interested in teaching.

In that same vein, Stone saw a need for a new program of study that would address the needs of students pursuing careers more closely aligned with allied health rather than traditional physical education.

"The health science major will prepare students for both graduate programs in the health sciences or entry level positions in the health promotion professions, including health maintenance organizations, hospitals, public and private clinics, voluntary health agencies, health departments, secondary schools, or business and industry," Stone said.

Stone cited particular trends in the health care industry that supported the need for the new major.

"The Kaiser Foundation Brief (2010) reports Americans spent $2.3 trillion dollars in health care in 2008 - nearly a 40 percent increase from $713 billion dollars spent in 1990," he said. "Consequently, the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics (2012), reports the demand for health education and promotion specialists is projected to increase 37 percent between the years 2010-2020. Likewise, the demand for allied health personnel is also projected to increase by 14 percent above the current average."

University Provost Dr. Daniel Taddie is enthusiastic about all the new opportunities for Ozarks students.

"I am excited about these new programs and the updates to the existing ones," Taddie said. "The new health science major will meet the interests and curricular needs of our current and prospective students. The program will provide a solid foundation for careers in a variety of high-demand health-related professions. In addition, our faculty - Brett Stone and our newly appointed Dr. Pete LeRoy - have degrees and experience in both physical education and allied health. So they have the expertise to deliver a top-notch program in association with our excellent science faculty."

In addition to these changes, Ozarks has also approved adding an outdoor leadership minor to the 2013-2014 catalog. As Taddie explains, this new minor takes advantage of Ozarks’ unique location as well as its new Ozarks Outdoors program.

"Our new minor in outdoor education builds upon our existing programs in physical education, environmental studies, and Ozarks Outdoors," he said. "Our Director of Ozarks Outdoors, Jamie Lewis Hedges, brings his outstanding experience and expertise to this program in collaboration with faculty from across the campus. Because of our location in the Ozark Mountains and the expertise of our faculty and staff, Ozarks is a great place to study and participate in these programs."

Hedges, who has already been teaching some outdoor leadership courses on campus, is thrilled to have more in depth option offering valuable outdoor and recreational experience. 

"The new outdoor leadership minor will provide an opportunity for students of any discipline to cater their degree toward an outdoor or environmental related field," Hedges said. "Graduates with degrees combined with this minor will have access to dynamic careers like outdoor recreation therapy, public lands management, environmental law or policy, environmental conflict mediation, and more."

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Brett Stone, assistant professor of health and physical education at Ozarks, received the 2011 Higher Education Educator of the Year award, given by the Arkansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreations and Dance (ArkAHPERD).

ArkAHPERD is a professional organization that supports health and physical education teachers and professors as well as the development and well-being of children and youth throughout the state.

Stone was nominated for the award by Arkansas State University Professor Dr. Andy Mooneyhan, who is also executive director of ArkAHPERD. Mooneyhan said the Higher Education Educator of the Year award is one of the most prestigious given by the organization.

“Brett Stone has been an outstanding advocate for the health and well-being of Arkansas children,” Mooneyhan said. “He has spent countless hours in committee meetings and in other venues helping to promote the importance of physical education in our schools, often at the sacrifice of his own time and resources. He has done a phenomenal job of standing up for the health of Arkansas’ school children, and he is well deserving of this honor.”

Stone said he was surprised by the honor.

“The award notification was such a surprise for me because I was not even aware that my name was included among the nominees,” Stone said. “I am truly honored to be considered for the award and grateful for the opportunity to work in collaboration with so many good people.”

Stone, who is also a co-sponsor of the University’s Sports Shooting Club, earned his bachelor’s degree from Lyon College before earning master’s degrees in both adult education and public health from University of Arkansas. He is completing requirements for his Ph.D., also from UA.

Stone’s primary focus is public health and community health promotion. He has also done extensive studies on the effectiveness of physical education programs in Arkansas schools. Last year he was awarded a grant by the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to help improve fitness levels for the state’s school-aged children.

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Ozarks’ assistant professor of health and physical education, Mr. Brett Stone, will be working to help improved fitness level in Arkansas’ school-aged children.

Stone, an assistant professor of health and physical education at the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, was recently awarded one of 23 grants presented by the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to help improve fitness level for the state’s school-aged children.

“Working in the public school environment, I watched as not only the activity level of children decline, but the desire to be physically active also decline,” said Stone. “Students are just not motivated to move and that’s becoming a bigger and bigger problem in this state and this country.”

Specifically, Stone’s grant will allow him to study the effectiveness of physical education programs in Arkansas schools as well as the differing effects of time and intensity levels of physical activity in school-based settings. The study will involve 800 fourth-graders in Arkansas schools.

“We’re really looking at program effectiveness and how much the amount of minutes of physical activity and the intensity of that activity influence fitness,” Stone said. “These types of studies will help superintendents, legislators and physical education teachers to come up with the best methods and programs to implement in our schools.”

Stone, who has taught at Ozarks since 2008, said the lack of physical activity in young children can lead to numerous health programs later when they are adults.

“We know that children who are not physically active become adults who are not physically active,” Stone said. “And, there is a direct correlation between low activity levels among adults and such health issues as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. If we can get kids active now, there’s a much better chance they will remain active their entire lives.”

Improving the fitness levels of school-aged children is something that can be accomplished through these types of research and studies, Stone believes.

“Deep down children want to move and they want to be active because children by nature have a lot of built-up energy,” he said. “They just need opportunities to become active and it’s our job as educators to give them those opportunities and to develop programs that maximize the benefits of physical activity.”

The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas awarded a total of $1,723,343 in grants to 23 health improvement programs in Arkansas to address such issues as obesity, diabetes and healthy lifestyles choices.  

“We are thankful for this opportunity to partner with the Blue & You Foundation to explore was of effectively combating childhood obesity and encouraging physical activity and fitness among the children of Arkansas,” said U of O Executive Vice President Steve Edmisten. “I have no doubt that this partnership between the state’s education and health care sectors will bring great benefits to Arkansas’ children.”

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