BRE welcomes new PE teacher
By Celeste McNeil; photos courtesy of Kelli Weinreich
BRE’s new PE teacher Kelli Weinrich
Kelli Weinreich – Coach W. to her students – joined the Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) family this fall as the school’s new PE teacher.
Weinreich is excited to share her enthusiasm for an active and healthy lifestyle with BRE students, despite hybrid school limitations. “My goals at BRE this year are for students to learn to enjoy physical activity, so that they can start to develop a healthy lifestyle. I want my students to be excited to try new things and embrace the idea of community sportsmanship.”
Originally from Long Island, New York, Weinreich attended college in Rhode Island, and lived in Australia and North Carolina before landing in Colorado.
Kelli and Neil met while in college. They moved to Colorado this summer from North Carolina, where she taught physical education for the past three years.
Her interest in physical activity and helping children began at a young age. Weinreich realized her love for helping others as a camp counselor, but it was during college when she taught surf that her passions shifted from part-time into a full-time and lifelong pursuit.
“Teaching surf, I realized how much I loved to help children and adults find a new sport to participate in. I loved the excitement that my clients had as they went from ‘there is no way I can do this’ to ‘I did it!’ That joy of seeing someone master a skill and have their confidence built up was something I knew I wanted every day in my life,” explained Weinreich.
Kelli and Neil Weinreich enjoy hiking, running, biking and exploring with their two dogs, Bandit and Ranger. Inset: Coach W. is very excited to be part of the close-knit BRE family and the fun variety of programs BRE offers.
While in Rhode Island, she was the assistant director of Catching Waves for Health, a program to help disabled students surf. Each student partnered with a college student, and together they worked on social and physical skills, including balance, strength and coordination. The program allowed Weinreich to work with disabled veterans in Hawaii and students with cognitive and physical disabilities in Australia.
Weinreich also has coaching experience in gymnastics, skiing and swimming; and, she completed an internship with Special Olympics Rhode Island (SORI). The time she spent with SORI and her mentors there solidified her desire to teach PE. “I realized as a physical education teacher I can teach so much more than fitness or sports. I can teach students skills that will last a lifetime and make them even better teammates, coworkers and humans.”
