Exos Partners With Wellness In The Schools & New York City Public Schools’ Office Of School Wellness Programs To Launch First-Ever Coach Council & Coaches Summit
Posted: June 13, 2023 in Chains
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NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Exos, the industry-leading performance coaching company, and Wellness in the Schools (WITS) have partnered with New York City Public School’s Office of School Wellness Programs (OSWP) to launch a first-of-its-kind Coach Council. The three organizations will work together to develop professional leadership events and opportunities for New York City’s (NYC) public school physical education (PE) teachers and coaches, including a Coaches’ Continuing Education Summit in the fall, expanding opportunities for accessible health and wellness for staff and students alike.
Following the successful launch of the city’s Chef Council and Exos x WITS’ daily fitness breaks at NYC public schools, the organizations saw a critical need to rejuvenate and support NYC’s PE teachers and coaches in this post-pandemic era. NYC teachers have been hit especially hard by burnout; with students also being impacted, there is now a burnout cycle in the school system. To compound issues for PE teachers and coaches, kids are 20% less active than they were pre-pandemic, making their role of motivating and getting kids moving especially vital. The Coach Council will inspire NYC PE teachers and coaches with resources to take better care of themselves and learn how to empower their fellow teachers and students to do the same, creating a sustainable cycle of well-being for NYC students and educators.
“Prioritizing wellness is critical to the success of our young people, in and out of the classroom. As students continue to navigate a post-pandemic world, we must ensure that educators have the tools and resources they need to engage students in empowering health and wellness lessons,” said Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “I’m grateful to Wellness in the Schools and Exos for their commitment to our students and am looking forward to continuing to collaborate on this essential work.”
The Coach Council will be comprised of notable coaches and wellness programming leaders, including Wellness in the Schools Senior Program Manager Errol Jones, NBC Correspondent/Former NFL player & coach Jason Garrett, Elite Personal Trainer/TV Journalist Jenna Wolfe, NYC Public Schools Office of School Wellness Programs Instructional Specialist Liz McSpedon and Exos’ President & Founder/Elite Training Coach Mark Verstegen. The Coach Council’s commitment includes consulting on bi-annual curriculum, serving as spokespersons at co-hosted events and advising on ongoing live virtual programming.
“We believe that coaches and teachers are the backbones of any successful school wellness program,” said Mark Verstegen, founder and president of Exos and Coach Council member. “By investing in their personal wellness goals and providing them with the resources they need to get ready for the moments that matter most in their daily lives, we can create a healthier, more active future for our New York City schools and students.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Exos and Wellness in the Schools to launch the Coach Council,” said Liz McSpedon, New York City’s Office of School Wellness’ instructional specialist and coach council member. “This program will provide invaluable opportunities for our coaches to learn from other elite coaches, practitioners, and experts in the field and encourages them to connect with their colleagues to bring back the knowledge they’ve gleaned to make a lasting impact on their students and schools.”
Exos and the Coach Council will also partner with WITS and the NYC Public Schools to host the first-ever Coaches Summit in honor of National Coaches Day on October 6, 2023. PE teachers from all 34 NYC districts with middle schools will be invited to attend, as research has shown that physical activity has dropped off in middle school. The coaches will learn directly from the Coach Council and Exos’ performance coaches and be empowered to share what they’ve learned with their colleagues to increase wellness activities in daily school programming, including the recently launched Exos x WITS’ daily fitness breaks. Incorporating key foundations of mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery with professional learning practices for NYC public schools, the event will support physical activity role models to be their best as they teach, coach, and inspire all NYC students towards healthy habits. Each coach will also receive CTLE New York State Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) as appointed by NYC Public Schools.
“This program, built on years of partnership, will make it possible for Wellness in the Schools to expand our programming to significantly more students and schools — in NYC and beyond,” said Nancy Easton, Wellness in the Schools’ co-founder and executive director. “We are grateful for the collective effort to provide daily movement opportunities for kids in public schools.”
