Contact:
Michael Basso
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Springbrook
105 Campus Drive
Oneonta, New York 13820
Phone: (607) 386 4852
Email: bassom@springbrookny.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2022
Jon Philby Awarded Amazing Person by NYS Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Verona, NY: On Thursday, November 17th, Adapted Physical Education Teacher Jon Philby was given the Central South Zone Amazing Person Award by the NYS Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAHPERD) at the association’s 84th Annual Conference at Turning Stone in Verona, New York. Jon Philby and Rachel Scoones, a recreation therapist at the School, attended the conference.
Jon Philby is an adapted physical education teacher at The School at Springbrook and co-coordinator for the Special Olympic program at Springbrook. He has been teaching at the School since 2011 and has been a member of NYSAHPERD for approximately ten years. In 2015, Philby was elected into the first class of Otsego County’s “20 Under 40”, “designed to recognize younger citizens who are excelling in their fields.”
The Amazing Person award “is given to a member of NYSAHPERD who has made exceptional contributions to the profession of health, physical education, adapted physical education, health education, recreation, and dance.” As well as someone who has “displayed excellence in teaching and overall performance in these disciplines.” The NYSAHPERD Annual Conference is “the premier event for professionals in the field of physical activity, physical education, school-based health, and wellness in New York State!” Each year, nearly 1,800 professionals and future professionals around the state attend the conference that offers programming on topics of physical and health education and activities.
Recently, Philby secured a grant, with the assistance of Barb Hein, the grant writer for Springbrook, through NYSAHPERD to provide new adaptive equipment to the students at the School. This equipment is adapted to students with ASD “to relieve tension, focus attention, and increase body awareness. All of these are fundamental goals that prepare a student for further development of their strength, coordination, social interaction, and sport‐specific skills,” said Philby of the equipment.
Traci Lanner, director of the School at Springbrook, has been working with Philby for over ten years and said, “Mr. Philby has been an ‘amazing person’ to The School at Springbrook for over ten years, and we are proud to have him on staff. Securing this grant from NYSAHPERD (in collaboration with Barb Hein) is only one example of the dedication he demonstrates to students with disabilities each day. Congratulations, and thank you, Mr. Philby!”
As an active member of the NYSAHPERD, Jon Philby represents the Central South Zone, of which he is the Adapted Physical Education Chairperson. Philby was elected for the Amazing Person award by his peers in the Central South Zone.
