WHY PEACH?
We provide cutting edge and up-to-date teaching practices in physical education, coaching and health areas. In the 80’s, we had years of 700, 800 and 900 attendees from California, Washington, and a few others from various states and countries.
The purpose of the conference is to promote interest and professional advancement opportunities for teachers, coaches, and athletic administrators; to provide opportunities for in-service education, staff development, and self-improvement; to upgrade programs of physical education, coaching and health by identification and presentations of trends and exemplary teaching techniques and programs.
How does this affect you and your community? As you are aware, health issues continue to rise in our youth. Our youth is becoming more sedentary and obese. Kids don’t play outside like they used to. We need to provide education for our youth so that they can make good choices in their efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle. This has to happen in our schools.
Our goal is to always bring in presenters and speakers who are at the forefront of physical education innovation and help physical educators and coaches to attend PEACH. In order to do this, we are seeking outside sources of funding to offset costs. Sponsor a speaker, donate to our silent auction, sponsor a teacher, donate to the conference, etc. Anything you could do to help us in these efforts would be very appreciated. No amount is too small.
WHY IS COMMON CORE IMPORTANT?
“Regarding Common Core, I am very familiar with the process and how to implement it into physical education classes. Most of what I teach is how to blend class curriculum into a movement experience. Common core requires Math, Language Arts, and Science to be blended with Physical Education. I have everything from Theory to specific lessons that I could guide people through. I feel once the concepts are grasped, the reasoning and application experiences will be formulated by the PEACH participants. If we are to survive as a valid curricular subject, we need to blend our work to make it a global learning experience. This means empowering every student in their Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul. Using high quality teaching pedagogy with Common Core Curriculum allows for amazing learning results so students leave well educated.”
– Darren Avrit, Professor at University of La Verne
Our Wonderful Staff
Samantha Salfen, Director
Samantha Salfen has been in the Physical Education field since 2012. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science I degree in Kinesiology from Cal State East Bay and went on to receive her teaching credential with an emphasis in Adaptive Physical Education in 2011. Miss Salfen is currently teaching physical education at The Harker School. Her teaching style focuses on the student’s overall well-being rather than just the physical aspects of Physical Education. Miss Salfen has recently travelled to China to help continue to guide her practice in engaging students daily.
Jo Anne Daughtry
Jo Anne has been attending the PEACH Workshops since 1983. After ten years attending, she began teaching at PEACH. She joined the PEACH Committee in 2004 and has served as the Director in 2010, 2011, 2017. Jo Anne has been a physical educator since 1981. She coached volleyball and softball for 20 years, earning Coach of the Year honors in both sports. She has been the Athletic Director and Activities Coordinator at Kentwood since 1998, being honored as the Athletic Director of the Year for the South Puget Sound League in 2012 and in the North Puget Sound League in 2017. Jo Anne believes the PEACH Workshop offers a unique opportunity for educators and coaches to interact, share ideas, network and get a great hands on experience!
Marc Olson
Marc has been teaching at the Richland School District for 19 years. He has been the elementary PE teacher for 4 years and the high school PE teacher for 2 years. He also taught at the Pasco School District for 3 years as the elementary PE teacher. He was an Assistant high school football coach for 28 years and a defensive coordinator for 10 years which included a second place finish in 1996 and a State Championship in 1999.
Steve Smith
Coach Steve “Smitty” Smith is the former Defensive Coordinator for the Varsity football team at Granite Bay High School. He is in approaching his 9th year at Granite Bay, but brings with him more than thirty five years of experience teaching, coaching football and other sports, and training athletes. His coaching experiences include his Alma Mater, Aptos High School, as well as Cabrillo College and the University of Pacific. He has been a Varsity Head Coach at both Golden Sierra and Soquel High School. He is USA Weightlifting Certified and has studied strength and conditioning and sports-specific training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.
Prior to living in Granite Bay, he and his family spent eight years living overseas where he taught PE, was an Athletic Director, and coached multiple sports in American International Schools in China, Oman, and Bahrain. Coach Smith seized the opportunity to expand his knowledge and expertise while living overseas. In Oman he was asked to train the Muscat Magpies Australian Rules Football Team and in Bahrain he trained the Arabian Celts Gaelic Football Team. Smitty, who also has a passion for martial arts, was also afforded the opportunity to train at the Shaolin Temple. Steve’s wife, Diamond Hill, is also a teacher-coach, and together they have two children, daughter Sage and son Talsen.
Danya Townsend
Danya has been teaching at Riverview Middle School since 2009. During that time she has taught Physical Education, Dance, Weight Training, and Leadership. She has coached middle school, high school and club volleyball since 2009 and has served as sports coordinator and activities director at Riverview. In 2016 she was named Teacher of the year at Riverview Middle School.
Emily Dodds
Emily has been teaching at Roseville High School since 2011. Since starting at RHS, Emily has taught Physical Education, AVID, Health and Recreation Administration, along with being the Athletic Director since 2015. Emily is often found at the pool where she has played water polo collegiately, as well as coached at the club and high school level and was a lifeguard and swim instructor.
Micheal Hartman
Mike is entering his 18th year teaching and 21st year of coaching on the Central Coast of California. He has taught in both the Physical Education and and Social Studies Departments. He has coached both football and track and field(specializing in the throws). He currently teaches and is the Head Football Coach at Arroyo Grande High School.
Casey Williams
Casey graduated from the University of Arizona, taught 5 years at a high school in Tucson as well as a varsity girls golf coach. I moved to the central coast in 2009 and started teaching middle school at Judkins in Pismo beach. Currently, I am the athletic director and coach of multiple sports.
James Fanshier
James will start his 24th year teaching in the fall of 2020. He currently teaches math and physical education at Folsom Lake High School. James was brought aboard FLHS to start the physical education program in 2016. Prior to teaching at Folsom’s continuation school, James taught 8th grade PE for 17 years in Rancho Cordova and San Jose. This past school year he coached 4 volleyball teams: Vista Del Lago (Folsom CA) as the varsity boys and varsity girls assistant, and U18 boys and U15 girls for the Aspire Volleyball Club in Folsom. In 2018, James helped start the boy’s program at Aspire. James has coached more than 50 volleyball teams ranging from 5th grade to community college. He coached wrestling for 22 years and currently moonlites as a wrestling referee when he’s not at a volleyball tournament. Along with volleyball and wrestling, James referees Mixed Martial Arts. As a professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist of 32 professional fights, he has earned some recognition by competing and winning championships for several minor MMA organizations between 2002 - 2011. In 2003, James won the National Sanshou Kickboxing Championships and represented the US at the world games in Macau, China. James loves teaching and helping others become better teachers. In 2009, with stitches, a black eye, and a blue mohawk, James first attended PEACH the day after a professional fight.
Favorite quote: “Train to the best of your ability and the wins will take care of themselves.”
- Jim Root, West Valley Wrestling
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Andy Tupy
Andy is the West Regional Sales Manager for Gopher, a nationwide vendor for Physical Education, Athletics, Fitness, Recreation and Health. He has lead over 60 activity sessions in the past six years and has presented these sessions all over the nation. Some include the state PE conventions in New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, Connecticut, California, Utah and South Carolina. He has also presented at many other summer workshops including the Virginia HPA Institute, Southwest Virginia conference, the University of Kentucky Paws, CPEW, PEACH, KAHPERD summer workshop, Michigan AHPERD summer workshop, Florida Tri-County workshop and many more. More recently he has also been presenting for individual schools district as well totaling more than 30 in over the past 3 years.
Amy Smith
Amy teaches Middle School Health at the Hong Kong International School and has a passion for curriculum that is current, relevant, adaptable, and shared. She serves as the Education Editor for Choices, Scholastic’s health magazine for teens.
Dale Sidebottom
Dale’s love of play, fun fitness, energy and passion for getting people moving, created Jugar Life, Energetic Education as well as an Energetic Radio podcast. Dale has created a unique blend of fun, teamwork, wellness and movement in his seminars and conferences.
April Smith - Olympic Development Coach/Instructor
USA National Team Coach for the women throwers in 2013. USTFCCCA East Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006. She has coached and mentored for 19 years, 17 on the NCAA Division I level between two institutions. She has coached 39 national qualifiers, 15 All-Americans and 70 conference champions, multiple school record holders. She has coached national and international qualifiers on the collegiate and post collegiate levels to represent their countries extending from USA to Herzengovina/Bosnia, Mexico, Bahamas and Germany. She has been an instructor for USATF Level I Coaches Education, and a speaker at the USATFCCCA Coaches Convention, Nike Northwest Clinic, MF Athletic All-Star Clinic and several camps and symposiums over her 19 years.