Avery Jakovic, Reporter
Milo Zinser-Trudel, Reporter
As we all get back into the rhythm of school, you’ll likely be seeing some new faces around the building. One of these is Anna Hendry, the newest addition to NCHS’ Physical Education staff.
After spending 18 years at Saxe Middle School, Ms. Hendry found herself in a unique position when the Saxe administration decided to reduce the number of Art and PE Teachers to four per department. Along with Art Teacher Abigail Duncan, she took the opportunity and moved up to the high school.
“One of the things I love about PE is that it gives me the opportunity to talk with students and teach life skills,” Ms. Hendry, a longtime member of the NCPS community, said. “I think a lot of times people have the misconception that I just love sports, which I do, but it’s not about how many shots you can make a basketball or how far you can throw a football.”
Ms. Hendry decided in fifth grade that she was going to be a PE teacher. “I was the weirdo. I loved sports. I loved kids, and I always had amazing PE experiences.”
Ms. Hendry was inspired by the teachers in her hometown of Storrs, CT, who always made class memorable. “I’ll never forget, it was pouring one day, we had PE last period. The field was a mud pit and we all wanted to play Ultimate Frisbee. And my teacher was like, let’s go,” she said.
Since arriving at NCHS, Ms Hendry’s been pleasantly surprised by her students, especially the seniors. She says that compared to the kids at Saxe, they’re more outgoing and interested in her as a person. “Kids that I haven’t seen in years have said “hello,” and come out of the woodwork,” she said. Another positive: learning about what her students are interested in and seeing how they’re growing as people with the greater freedom offered by NCHS.
What can you expect from Ms. Hendry’s class this year? Expect it to be about more than just sports. Inspired by her own experiences in high school, she wants to teach a class that students enjoy. “You guys have so much going on, it’s important to do some other stuff and break that up throughout the day,” she said.
Althought exercise is important, there will also be a focus on broader life skills like teamwork and effective communication. So if you have Ms. Hendry this year, you can look forward to a relaxed but engaging class. Even if PE isn’t you favorite class, it’ll be a place where you can unwind, relieve some stress, and learn valuable lessons.
