Klinek named Physical Education University Teacher of the Year

Dr. Shelly Klinek, assistant professor of health and physical education, received two awards at the 95thAnnual Convention of the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance held earlier this month.

Klinek was honored by her peers with both a Professional Honor Award and 2016 Physical Education University Teacher of the Year.

Klinek is the director of the health and physical education program at Pitt-Bradford, where she has helped revise and develop the current curriculum.

She has presented at several PSAHPERD conventions and will present at the 2017 National Society of Health and Physical Education convention in Boston this March. At this month's PSAHERD state convention, she made a presentation about archery and autism.

Her current research is studying at-risk and autistic youths' responses to archery in a safe and controlled setting, in which she is developing testing measures that will use both qualitative and quantitative methods.

“This research will fill a significant gap in scholarly research focusing on archery and self-esteem in autistic and at-risk populations,” she said.

Klinek works with students in Bradford Area High School in a program funded by a grant from Autism Speaks and a faculty development grant from Pitt-Bradford. She also recently published an article on the topic, “Archery and Autism in the Middle School,” in the online journal Betwixt and Between.

Klinek has 26 years' experience teaching health, PE and adapted PE in public schools and has taught seven years in a college/university setting. Before coming to Pitt-Bradford, she taught at Edinboro University, Youngstown (Ohio) State University and Slippery Rock University.

Klinek is a certified wellness practitioner, a certified adapted physical educator and is certified in MOVE, Mobility Opportunities via Education. She is a certified archery instructor with the National Archery in the Schools Program and trained with the Pennsylvania Game Commission this past summer to become a Basic Archery Instructor Trainer.