Kevin Kobelski, who graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in 1993, was named the Wethersfield School District’s 2014–15 Teacher of the Year.
Kobelski has been a physical education teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in Wethersfield for 10 years and worked at the Webster Hill School in West Hartford before that. He says his ultimate goal is to become an athletic director, but is too passionate about his current job and his students to realize that dream that right now.
Kobelski was recognized for his ability to get his students to think about physical education in new and exciting ways. He emphasizes the importance of movement by explaining that there are a variety of ways to move and that all of them will contribute to health and fitness.
Despite that fact that he is a big sports fan, Kobelski said, “I’m not here to produce a basketball player or a football player. I’m here to produce a student who is physically educated.” Young children are still learning about health and fitness, and Kobelski urges them to be creative and determine what works best for them personally, even if it is new territory.