Adapted physical education teacher Hailee Hansen is a finalist for citywide Teacher of the Year.
Hansen works with students across the district, including Pembroke and Princess Anne elementary schools as a staff member of the Office of Programs for Exceptional Children (OPEC).
Her students have a variety of abilities, and she helps them build coordination and muscles that help them improve their motor skills such as walking up a step, rolling over from one side to the other, and looking up and down.
“I believe teaching is a true calling, a journey that demands full commitment beyond delivering lessons or grading,” she said. “The joy of seeing students grasp new ideas and grow in confidence is profoundly rewarding, as is helping them develop life skills that reach beyond academics.”
She also worked with Pembroke Elementary to plan and implement the school’s annual Exceptional Games, an inclusive field day event. Through community partnerships Hansen created the Moving Mustangs, which increased student movement opportunities by participating in a virtual marathon program where students earned certificates and medals in distances from 5 kilometers to a full marathon, according to Leanna Landry, OPEC special education coordinator.
“She ensures that all students engage in tasks that empower them and build independence,” Landry said.
Hansen has been with Virginia Beach City Public Schools for eight years. She is on the planning committees for local Special Olympics events and is a founding member of Virginia’s Adapted Physical Education Consortium Organizing Committee.
Her work demonstrates a proactive approach to advancing her field, said Robert Mages, lead adapted physical education teacher.
“Through her leadership and vision, she has contributed to establishing standards and practices that improve physical education access and quality for students with disabilities throughout the state,” said Mages, adding that Hansen implemented groundbreaking approaches to virtual and hybrid instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nancy Lamb, a licensed physical therapist assistant at VBCPS, said teaching adapted PE students requires skill, education, compassion, practical knowledge and most importantly — passion.
“She is energetic in her curiosity for solutions to enable her students’ success and plans her lessons to encourage them to accomplish freedom of movement providing a sense of power, strength and comfort,” Lamb said.
