The Founder’s Award is in honor of Arizona Health and Physical Educations founder, Ina Gittings. This honor will be awarded to a teacher that is currently teaching and has taught for 25 years or more and is still making a difference. This individual should not be currently retired. Below is a statement about Ina Gittings that may help with understanding the type of individual we are looking for. This would be given at our State Convention Awards Ceremony. Individuals nominated must be current members. Using the criteria given by individual nominating, a rubrics will be used to determine each year’s recipient.

Long before Title IX, Ina E. Gittings (1885-1966) became the first university director of Women’s Physical Education and Athletics in Arizona in 1920. She introduced female students to archery, track and field, horseback riding and other sports. Women’s involvement in athletics was a new idea in the early twentieth century. Prior to that time, girls were thought to be too frail for sports. Her influence on young women was well known and widely recognized.” She continued to deliver talks to community groups into the 1960s. Professor Gittings started Arizona Health and Physical Education in 1931 under the name, “Arizona Physical Education Society”.

The Founders Award will be presented on Wednesday, November 20th at the Arizona Health and Physical Education Honor and Recognition Awards being held at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix.

Nominations close September 1st.

NOMINATION FORM »