The Best P.E. Teacher In America
Instead of emphasizing team sports, Gregg Agena teaches Mililani Middle School kids about fun and fitness. No wonder P.E. classes are packed
By Chad Pata
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Hannah Hargis, Mari Miyashiro and Justyn Houser
work out under the watchful eyes of teachers, from
left, Kelvin Wong, Ben Ayson, Natalie Hirata, Chris
Justo and Nathan Houghtailing
“It was different to them, and they thought it was awesome. It validates that we are working in the right direction.”
Unfortunately, the direction Agena is taking Mililani does not translate to the entire state. While 100 percent of kids at his middle school are involved in some type of P.E. during the year, state standards lag far behind.
At the high school level only one P.E. credit is required, meaning students could take P.E. their freshman year and never take another physically active course again through the rest of their four years.
“What I would really like to see is a daily physical education program K through 12,” says Agena.
Though the goal may be a bit lofty at this point, Agena still believes the programs are improving with the help of state officials.
“Part of the reason (for P.E.‘s growth) is there is a good working relationship between the university and the state head person Donna Ede,” says Agena, who graduated from UH in 2003.
“They are the reason for this movement within P.E. since I have been involved. It has allowed us to compete on a national level and to bring honor to our state.”
Truly humble words, but that understates the importance of what Agena is doing in Central Oahu. He neither looks at P.E. as a throw-away activity, nor as just a class he has to teach in order to coach. Rather it’s an intrinsic part of a good education.
“Our mission is to teach students to become successful movers with the skills, knowledge and desire to become lifelong participants in physical activity,” says Agena.
Sounds a little different than the whistle-wearing fellow who used to give us oversized red balls to throw at each other for P.E. But that’s because Agena is about as related to that guy as computers are to typewriters. While sports are a part of P.E., they are not the focus.
In fact, of the four different P.E. electives Mililani Middle offers, only one of them involves team sports. They also include Hawaiian and Polynesian dance, body conditioning and recreational leadership.
These are outside of the regular P.E. work every student is required to take each year, yet they are the school’s most popular electives with more than half the students making P.E. their first choice.
In addition, every morning the entire school gets together for a “dynamic workout.” Most schools leave this up to the individual classes, but in Mililani you can see 200 to 300 kids exercising en masse every morning.
“P.E. is valued at our school, and we have a lot of support from the principal and registrar,” says Agena, who graduated from Aiea High. “I really believe if all schools had the support I do, everyone would have an outstanding program.”
His biggest supporter is principal Roger Kim, who has over-seen the program’s rapid expansion since Agena’s arrival.
“We are very fortunate to have him, and the structure and resources to do these kind of things,” says Kim, who has received no negative feedback about their extensive physical fitness focus. “In order to get the maximum benefit of teaching, we have to teach the whole child.”
So much is made of the No Child Left Behind Act and lagging grades that Agena feels sometimes we forget the purpose of the children’s education.
“They talk about test scores and academics, but you want your child to be educated mind, body and soul,” says Agena, who has two daughters Kasey (5) and Haley (2) with wife Nicole. “It is not just educate the brain, but a healthy body and healthy mind.”
If he doesn’t talk like P.E. teachers you remember, it’s because he is a lot more educated than those of our youth. Agena received his master’s in kinesiology and leisure science at UH in 2003.
“The training is a lot more rigorous and requires a lot more of your spare time,” says Agena of the program.
P.E. teacher was not a lifetime goal of Agena’s, but he did grow up playing sports. His parents kept him active and out of trouble playing soccer, football and baseball. It was the last sport that led him to his career choice.
“In 1990 I was coaching Little League baseball, and I had such success at it and I felt it was something I could be good at,” says Agena. “A combination of my love for sports and comments from parents really encouraged me to go into physical education.”
Hardball also taught him the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement, which he learned under the tutelage of Mid-Pac varsity coach Dunn Muramaru.
He takes this message on the road this year as he will be invited to schools and conferences to teach others how to improve their programs. According to Agena, this is the true reward of his recognition.
“People ask me, do you get a car, do you get money for winning?” says Agena. “I tell them ‘No, it’s just a way for me to give back to our profession.’”
A truly humble local boy, he’s not caught up in his personal accolades, but about a mission that he thinks is important for tomorrow’s youth.
“I want to show people that P.E. is important with the obesity problems and diabetes on the rise,” says Agena.
“It’s a high-tech society with kids becoming more and more inactive. It’s such an important part of our school’s overall curriculum. Not just playing sports, but teaching kids to have the tools so they can maintain physical activity throughout their life.”
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