The Society of Health and Physical Educators, formerly known as AAHPERD, today continued its rebranding efforts to be the premiere organization for school health and physical educators with the introduction of its new streamlined website – www.SHAPEAmerica.org. Earlier this month at the 129-year-old organization’s National Convention & Expo in St. Louis, the new name, logo and brand were formally launched.
“The new website is a culmination of our new visual look, improved navigation and search capability so that you can easily find all of the popular topics on the website from Let’s Move! Active Schools to the National Standards and Guidelines,” says Chief Executive Officer E. Paul Roetert. “We purposely changed the name to SHAPE America to help increase visibility and name recognition among our members and the public. So when looking for topical information on school health and physical education, and the importance of healthy, active lifestyles, we want www.SHAPEAmerica.org to be the first stop for everyone.”
In addition to including our popular Teacher’s Toolbox and Coach’s Toolbox, all social media channels are featured as well as many quick-links, visuals, breaking news and announcements in the fields of school health, physical education and physical activity, with an enhanced search capability. For instance, news about the 2014 National Coaching Conference, June 18-20 in Washington, D.C. is included on the website as the “go to” source for the call for proposals, registration and housing and programming highlights. This will be followed shortly with information about the 2015 National Conference & Expo on March 17-21 in Seattle, WA.
The website also includes a look at the association’s leaders. At the recent National Convention & Expo, Dolly Lambdin, a clinical professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, assumed the presidency of the organization. She is joined on the Executive Committee with Past President Gale Wiedow of Dakota State University, SD; SHAPE America CEO Roetert, and newly elected President-Elect Stephen Jefferies of Central Washington University. At-large members of the Board of Directors include newly–elected Marybell Avery, Lincoln, NE Public Schools; Fran Cleland, West Chester University, PA; Renee Colleran, Northshore School District, WA; Dennis Docheff, University of Central Missouri; Neil Dougherty, Rutgers University, NJ; Lynn Johnson, Plymouth State University, NH; Anne Stewart, Corpus Christie, TX, and Milton Wilder, Cullman, AL.
Once an alliance of five national associations and a Research Consortium, the organization developed a multi-year strategic review and planning process to better serve its nearly 20,000 members’ needs as a unified organization. Reflecting this new direction, SHAPE America is working to:
* Shape a future where healthy is the norm
* Shape a standard of excellence in physical education and health education
* Shape the lifelong habits of young people
* Shape and influence policy related to physical education and health education.