8:03 a.m., Feb. 23, 2009----Two University of Delaware seniors majoring in physical education won awards at the 88th annual convention of the Eastern District Association (EDA) of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), held Feb. 4-7 in Lancaster, Pa.

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Lauren Van Hise was honored as the Outstanding Future Professional from the state of Delaware, and Stephanie Debonis won the Robert M. Pate Student Scholarship for her professionalism, academic achievement, service and character.

Debonis was also selected to receive national recognition as the winner of the Ruth Abernathy Scholarship, which will be conferred at the AAHPERD Conference and Exposition in Tampa in April. The Abernathy Scholarship consists of a $1,000 award and a complimentary three-year AAHPERD membership.

Both Debonis and Van Hise gave presentations at the EDA convention. Debonis co-presented a workshop highlighting some of the psychosocial and learning challenges that individuals with Asperger syndrome face in cooperative and competitive physical activity settings. Van Hise shared a lesson plan that she had prepared on ways to cope with and prevent cyber-bullying.

Debonis is currently student teaching at Unionville Elementary School in Chester County, Pa. “I've always been active and involved in sports, and I've always loved working with kids,” she says, “so being a PE teacher is the perfect fit for me.”

Debonis is past president of the UD Health and PE Majors Club, and she has been instrumental in getting the club involved with a variety of community service projects to benefit children. She also plays a number of intramural sports and is captain of UD's club lacrosse team.

Van Hise is also physically active and dedicated to a career involving children. “Kids are all different,” she says, “and it's a challenge to figure out what will work for each individual child. But it's hard not to be happy when you're around kids -- you can start off having a bad day, but you can't stay that way for long.”

Van Hise has volunteered with Special Olympics and Project ACES (All Children Exercising Simultaneously).

“Both of these young women are outstanding students and terrific people,” says Lee Raymond, instructor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. “They work really hard and are very deserving of these awards.”

In addition to Debonis and Van Hise, 18 other PE majors from UD contributed to presentations at the EDA convention.

Article by Diane Kukich