During her tenure as principal of Sappington Elementary School, Ta’Keshia Parker has made it a point to prioritize the physical and mental health and wellness of her students. Parker was awarded for her efforts by the Missouri Society of Health and Physical Educators (MOSHAPE) this year when she was named the Administrator of the Year.
“There are other schools where P.E. isn’t seen as a high priority or some of those programs are dissolving in some schools,” Parker said. “I’m really adamant about our students participating in P.E.”
Parker has been part of the administration team at Sappington since 2015, where she started as an assistant principal. After two years, she stepped into the title of head principal and has served in that role ever since.
The news of Parker’s achievement reached her at the beginning of October, but the process began in May when the school’s physical education teacher, Mary Driemeyer, nominated Parker for the honor.
“Dr. Parker is an exceptional leader whose unwavering support of physical education and wellness has positively impacted our school community,” said Driemeyer in her nomination. “She views physical education as an integral part of every student’s educational journey, building resilience, teamwork, and emotional growth. I can think of no one more deserving of the MOSHAPE Administrator of the Year Award.”
One of Parker’s innovations at Sappington is the Wellness Room, which came into existence in 2017 — the same year she became head principal. Driemeyer had previously raised Parker’s attention to other schools that had a similar space; with an extra room in the building, Parker suggested that they make it happen.
Although it is not part of the physical education class, students are taught to use the equipment in the Wellness Room by their P.E. teacher so they are informed when they need to use it. The themes for the room, as well as the equipment that matches that theme, rotate.
Examples of themes for the Wellness Room have included “The Floor is Lava,” which played on the simple children’s game — it roped in activities based on jumping or elevation, like a trampoline and a warped wall. Another was the “Gameplay” theme, which included blocks, LEGOs, stuffed animals and an imagination playground.
“The students love when I try to do it,” Parker joked. “I can never get to the highest level.”
Another of Parker’s emphases when it comes to student health and wellness at Sappington are the brain breaks, which she encourages teachers to build into their students’ schedules. This could look like a few minutes using GoNoodle — a video platform that gets children moving and stretching — or other activities that get their blood flowing.
“Our students recognize if they need a movement break,” Parker said. “They’re used to us talking about the importance of having a movement break or a brain break, and they’ll advocate as well.”
Parker gives credit to Driemeyer, who nominated her. She says the two have worked closely on these efforts and she shares the accomplishment with the physical education teacher; Driemeyer’s involvement, she says, has made a huge difference in how these ideas have been integrated among teachers and students.
“We talk a lot about how movement is not only helping our body get healthy, it’s helping our brain get healthy so we can be strong learners,” Parker said.