Media content: Tiffany Westry, tiffanywestry@uab.edu
From left: Candice Russell, Sandra Sims, Ph.D., and Justin WileyUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education student Justin Wiley and Associate Professor Sandra Sims, Ph.D., each received awards from the Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. ASAHPERD promotes healthy lifestyles in Alabama through high-quality programs in health, physical education, recreation, dance, sport and exercise science.
Sims, an associate professor in the Department of Human Studies, was given the inaugural College/University Physical Educator of the Year Award. Kristi Menear, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Human Studies, is immensely proud of Sims for being the first to receive the award.
“It is very possible that no one in Alabama is more passionate about providing high-quality physical education that meets the requirements and regulations of the Alabama State Department of Education than Dr. Sandra Sims,” Menear said. “Dr. Sims has devoted her entire career to tirelessly advocating for K-12 school districts and universities to model and monitor the delivery of quality physical education instruction to every student.”
Wiley, a junior majoring in kinesiology, received the ASAHPERD Outstanding Future Professional of the Year Award for his work in physical education in inner cities. This award honors an outstanding undergraduate member of the organization who has displayed leadership, scholarship and service during his/her first undergraduate professional preparation degree.
Wiley and Sims received their awards at ASAHPERD’s fall conference, which took place from Nov. 5-7 in Hoover. Kinesiology major Candice Russell, was awarded a grant to provide support for attending professional development conferences.
The conference featured presentations from physical education experts across the state and honored individuals and organizations for their exceptional work in the field.