Dudney wins Disney national teaching prize

By FULLER ROYAL

“I about went to my knees,” said Hallsboro Middle School physical education teacher Kem Dudney upon learning that she is one of 44 winners nationwide of the annual Disney Teacher Award.

“I am humbled that a child thought enough of me to nominate me for such an award,” said the 25-year veteran teacher, who has spent 24 of those years at HMS.

A press release Monday from Disney said that Dudney was chosen from more than 75,000 nominees for her “inspiring and creative classroom strategies.”

“Disney is dedicated to brightening the lives of children and we salute dedicated teachers like Miss Dudney for using creativity in their classrooms to inspire our children to achieve more than they ever throught possible,” said Terry Wick, vice president of Disney Worldwide Outreach.

During the past several years, Dudney has received numerous honors, including Columbus County Teacher of the Year and North Carolina Regional Teacher of the Year, making it to the final round with seven other candidates for North Carolina Teacher of the Year.

She was also the N.C. State Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year and was named among the top five middle school physical education teachers in America during ceremonies in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dudney will receive $10,000 from Disney and will be flown at the end of July to Anaheim, Calif., for one week of celebrations and ceremonies at the various Disney facilities, including Disneyland.

Disney will also award HMS $5,000. In October, Dudney and HMS Principal Mike Mobley will be flown to Walt Disney World for six days in a professional development institute for creative teaching.

On Wednesday, Dudney talked about the Disney Award and what has led to her recent honors.

Despite multiple sclerosis and back surgery stemming from an old injury, Dudney keeps up the active pace required of a physical education teacher.

Her classes run like a well-oiled machine. As she talked, her students quietly entered the gym and “dressed out.” They walked over and sat in a circle until Dudney told them to begin.

On this day, they were learning to play badminton.

“I built those stands for the nets 24 years ago and we’re still using them today,” Dudney said.

Dudney has perhaps the most diverse physical education program of any school – middle or high – in the county.

Her students not only learn the basics of basketball, softball and baseball – they also learn fishing, canoeing and archery.

For almost six years, Dudney applied for every grant she could. Just when she thought nothing would ever happen, the funds started rolling in.

A grant for nearly $100,000 allowed her to enclose the old weight-lifting area of the gym and turn it into a state-of-the-art fitness center for students, staff and the community.

Another grant came in allowing her to buy canoes and fishing equipment.

Another grant came in allowing her to purchase top-of-the-line archery equipment.

Success breeds success.

Now, Coca-Cola has sent her 450 pedometers so she can initiate an 11,000-step-a-day fitness program for students and staff.

Physical fitness is job one for Dudney. Using computers and other technology, she tests the strength, endurance and agility of all of her students.

Then, using data such as blood pressure and cardiovascular proficiency rates, she custom designs a fitness plan for each student.

If a child has high blood pressure, she wants to know why. Several years ago, one child had an abnormally high blood pressure and a wildly over-the-top pulse.

The equipment in the fitness room allowed her to measure those rates and quickly send her for medical attention, which, Dudney said, saved the child’s life.

A favorite class activity of Dudney’s is canoeing. With 12 additional canoes provided by the North Carolina Division of Parks, she takes her students and adult volunteers on an annual excursion around the edge of Lake Waccamaw, usually starting in front of the Boys and Girls Homes campus.

“Believe it or not, some of the kids here at Hallsboro have never even seen the lake and surely some never have been on it,” she said. “I teach a lesson on canoeing each year. As a prelude to this lesson, we take a field trip to the Lake Waccamaw State Park to learn about the species of animals in the lake, the history of the lake and ecology.”

She said that the school’s history, English, science and math teachers accompany the students so the lesson can be taught across the curriculum.

She also enjoys taking the students fishing.

“I am always amazed at the number of students who have never been fishing,” she said.

A graduate of Williams Township High School, she played high school girls basketball for three years. Her athletic abilities provided her a basketball scholarship to Pfeiffer College.

She was drafted by the Houston Angels basketball team but an injury cut her career short.

She returned to Columbus County and worked with the late Dempsey Herring for three years before entering the classroom.

“The best part of teaching is the smiles on the faces of the children that are etched in my heart forever,” Dudney said. “I became a teacher because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children.”

Dudney said that a lot of her students are socially deprived with little or no stimulating activity after school. She said her physical education class is designed to try and make up for those losses by offering as many new things to experience as possible.

She said she loves teaching because no two days are alike.

In the fitness center, which also serves as her office, the walls are lined with newspaper articles and photographs of past and present students and their activities. She has albums full of photos from her 24 years at Hallsboro.

Mobley said that Dudney conducts a physical education program that is “second to none.” He said that her creativity inspires her students to become lifelong learners of physical activity.

“She is just remarkable,” said Columbus County Schools Superintendent Dan Strickland. “She is an outstanding educator and a model to teachers throughout the county.”

As the class nears its end, Dudney’s students have gathered around her to look at the latest batch of photographs. These were made during this class’s fishing trip last Friday. In the stack are photos of youngsters with the first fish they have ever caught.

“There’s nothing like seeing the excitement and knowing you made a difference,” she said.

Dudney is eligible to be named as one of five exceptional teachers from the 44 selected. Four outstanding teachers and one Disney Teacher of the Year will each receive an additional $15,000 from Disney.