Teacher Meghan Bright oversees an activity with Curtisville Primary students Friday.

Curtisville Primary students learn more than soccer and dodge ball in Meghan Bright's class.

She teaches them from the earliest age how to care for their bodies with proper fuel, sleep and emotional balance.

"Starting in kindergarten, my students learn about the functions of their body systems and how to care for those systems," said Bright, 31, a Deer Lakes teacher for 10 years.

With her youngest classes, they might practice motor skills by tossing scarves and catching them with different body parts. Older students might be tasked with passing a ball across the gym, one by one, with the fun twist of "no hands allowed."

"My students learn about the effects movement has on the brain," she said.

"This approach equips them with knowledge and skills they will carry with them for life, creating a lifelong commitment to their overall wellness."

Bright's methods have caught the attention of SHAPE PA, a group aimed at promoting health and physical education.

The Cranberry resident earned the organization's 2024 Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year award for her innovation and advocacy. She will be honored in November during a state conference in Manheim.

"This award is a testament to the collaborative efforts of everyone I work with at Curtisville and the ongoing work we put in to make our school one of the healthiest in the country," Bright said.

"Building strong relationships with my students and colleagues at Curtisville has been at the heart of my teaching philosophy," Bright said.

"These connections are the foundation of everything I do, allowing me to create a learning environment where students feel supported, motivated and understood."

According to the SHAPE PA website, criteria for the award includes teaching a diverse program that can meet the needs of all students and using innovative methods to capture the attention of a variety of interests.

Curtisville Principal Jennifer Cavalancia called Bright a dynamic model for promoting overall wellness.

"Meghan creates a personalized learning environment in which each student has an opportunity to strive toward success with routines and practices that are accessible to all -- considering physical, developmental, cultural and linguistic differences," Cavalancia said.

People in the hallway often can hear celebrations from the gym when students meet their personal goals, Cavalancia said.

"I'm proud to have her as a member of our team," she said.

A graduate of Seneca Valley High School and Slippery Rock University, Bright is an outdoor enthusiast. She enjoys camping, fishing, kayaking, hiking and swimming, and hopes to inspire the same love of adventure in her students.

Having joined the staff as a student teacher and then a substitute, Bright has since served as technology coach and wellness teacher.

"My class is called wellness because it blends together movement and health concepts," she said.

"I am addressing physical, mental and emotional wellness in each session. The structure of my class reflects the Whole Child approach, which focuses beyond academics to include meeting students' social-emotional, physical and safety needs."

Her goal is for students to be equipped for academic success and to understand how to manage stress, make healthy choices and take care of their physical and mental well-being.

In her time at Deer Lakes, Bright has created a bimonthly newsletter to keep families informed and engaged. She is the elementary school's Field Day coordinator and the district's liaison for Kids of Steel, through which she organizes year-round programs to help students get physical and set healthy goals.

She also plans staff wellness activities and hosts Get Moving Night for K-5 families.

Earlier this week, Bright installed sensory decals in the hallways at school to help kids explore while they move.

She was nominated for the SHAPE PA award by several co-workers.

"When I first started as a young adult right out of college 10 years ago, the staff at Curtisville and East Union took me under their wings and made me feel at home," she said.

"I'm incredibly grateful to those who believed in me enough to nominate me for this recognition. The students at Curtisville make me proud every day, and I truly love what I do. My passion is to continue inspiring students and staff to find ways to care for their body and mind for life."