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About Randy:
Randy is a P.E. teacher at Ellensburg High School. He’s been teaching for 14 years total, and has been using Polar technology in his lessons for the past year and a half. He’s a member of both AAHPERD and the Washington State Coaches Association. In 2002, he was voted Teacher of the Year by Ellensburg’s graduating class.
About Ellensburg High School:
Ellensburg High School is part of the Ellensburg School District in Ellensburg, Washington. In this rural area, the typical P.E. class size is about 30-33 students. Students are in grade levels 9-12 and have been using Polar E600 heart rate monitors (HRMs) with the TriFIT system and PE Manager software.
Core Activities:
Randy uses strength and conditioning, lifetime activities, team, and individual activities to teach P.E. at Ellensburg.
Using Polar:
Ellensburg High School used funds from a PEP Grant to get Polar technology. Students at Ellensburg use HRMs 3 to 5 days per week. According to Randy, the most important reason to use Polar in P.E. is because “it forces each student to strive to his or her full potential.”
The Buzz:
Randy likes that Polar “individualizes reports for students. The technology makes grading more objective than subjective.”
Students “HRMs force students to monitor their own fitness—they love it!”
Administration likes that “technology is being used in the classroom.”
Personal Highlight:
“There’s a major difference in students’ activity levels when we use the HRMs. I have seen effort levels increase greatly on days we use monitors. Students are becoming more aware of their fitness because of the feedback they receive while using HRMs.”
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