Lis Brenden
John Prasch Health and Physical Fitness Award
About the Award: This award recognizes an educator each year who has made a significant contribution to students' lives by promoting health and physical fitness.
Awarded Amount: $1,000
Nominated By: Mark Watt, Department Chair
Nomination: Lis Brenden continues to be a model teacher during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. This was recognized by Nebraska Society for Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE), which named Lis the Adapted Physical Educator of the Year.
“Brenden is a true advocate for students with special needs in the classroom, school and community. A couple years ago she volunteered and initiated piloting the first unified physical education class in Lincoln Public Schools. She works closely with the Special Education Department to co-teach this amazing opportunity for students of all abilities...She is always looking at innovative ways to modify equipment to fit her students’ needs so all can fully participate in class. She shares her passion by leading training to assist other teachers who are interested in incorporating a unified P.E. program in their school.”
Lis’ efforts with Unified PE have extended to other classes during this COVID era. As PE teachers have been asked to adapt curriculum to promote physical distancing, and incorporate new safety measures, aspects of Lis’ Unified PE curriculum have been incorporated into other PE classes. Team Sports, Lifetime Sports, and Fitness for Life teachers have used and adapted numerous games to allow students to be active throughout the term. Most notable were the wheelchair basketball games that we played the past two terms. Lis arranged to borrow chairs from an organization in Omaha, and picked them up and returned them on her own time. Many LSW students have gained a hands-on knowledge of the skill and arm strength required to play that game, and an appreciation for the challenges faced by those who use a wheelchair daily.
Lis Brenden continues to be an exceptional physical education teacher, who impacts students in her classes, as well as those throughout the school and community. She is highly deserving of the John Prasch Health & Physical Education Award, and I encourage you to strongly consider her as the recipient for the 2020-21 school year.
