Ryan Gordy, MS in PETE 2010-2012 cohort, works as a wellness instructor at Canton High School and is the Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach at Canton High School, Canton, MA. He teaches both physical education and health classes 9-12. He’s taught for seven years and coached high school basketball for 10 years, and served as the varsity coach at CHS for five years.
According to Gordy, Massachusetts has an extensive teacher certification program requiring multiple years of service, professional development, standardized testing, furthered education and positive evaluations. The state uses a tiered system consisting of three levels. Certification begins with a preliminary license, followed by an initial license and eventually ending at a professional license.
“When I started at WVU, I only held a preliminary license in both health and physical education, grades 6-12. This past spring I obtained a professional license in both health and physical education grades K-12, and this fall I obtained an administrative license in supervisor/leadership roles after completing a 300 hour administrative internship and practicum,” he explained.
Gordy gives credit to his experiences while at WVU CPASS. “The WVU PETE program was and still is an essential step for me to obtain this highest certification in my state. My goals are to become an athletic director, or a district wellness coordinator responsible for a wellness program K-12. Both are administrative jobs,” said Gordy.
Gordy has extensive networking skills. He has arranged corporate sponsorship deals with local businesses to benefit the wellness department and Athletics programs through donations of gear, equipment and capital. Partnerships include the New England Patriots and New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium to allow the school’s soccer teams to play games on their field.
“My school has struck an agreement with ADIDAS as our official sponsor for athletics. TheADIDAS team sales world headquarters is located in our town. They give our program more than $30,000 each year toward uniforms and equipment. We have many local banks who sponsor our wellness department which helps us purchase equipment and renovate our fitness center for PE classes,” said Gordy
Additionally, Dunkin Donuts world headquarters, located in Canton, has allows the school’s basketball program to play at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI, home to the Providence Friars Big East basketball team.
“We have an agreement with our local YMCA who we use to train our student body about leadership, something we value very highly at Canton HS. Many other businesses in town contribute to our cause,” he added.