Schmitz earns SHAPE America Major of the Year Award
The SHAPE America Conference was held in Seattle, Wash., from March 28 through April 1. Paetyn Schmitz of Greenwood, daughter of Chris and Jana Schmitz, was awarded the SHAPE America Major of the Year Award.
The award celebrates outstanding undergraduate students in the field of health and physical education. Professors nominate one outstanding student and Paetyn was unanimously chosen by her advisors and professors. Paetyn will graduate from the College of Science and Health at the University of La Crosse with a double major in health education and physical education with an adapted physical education minor on May 14.
“(The double major plus a minor) was a choice to stay extra years to make herself more marketable as well as a higher quality teacher within our field. While juggling all three content spaces, she maintained a 3.74 GPA,” wrote Paetyn’s professor and program director, Dr. Rachyl Stephenson.
To be eligible for the award, a student must be on track toward a degree in health and physical education or a related field, be a junior or senior, have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, and provide a service to school or community (three to five contributions) for a minimum of two years during their undergraduate career.
Paetyn has completed numerous community service hours, including helping with the following: the UW- La Crosse Motor Development Program, Adapted Sports League and Winter Sports Camp; “Fit Kids” Saturday morning exercise club for kids; the Fourth of July concession stand; volunteering at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Marshfield with cleaning, organizing and outdoor work; United Church of Christ Christmas decorating; Clark County Dairy Breakfast volunteer; painted the viewing gallery at Marieke Gouda; helped with kids’ games at Neillsville Heritage Days; Dairy Days/End of Summer Fest cleanup; and setup for the Clark County Relay for Life.
She has also earned a resiliency certification that she earned through a company called EmpowerU, which is an 18-lesson program on social emotional learning, as well as her Mental Health Literacy Certification.
“Her amazingly positive demeanor, hard work ethic, service to the community and collaborative outlook on approaching teaching within a professional learning community make her an incredible asset to our profession,” wrote Stephenson.
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