The Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has awarded Bradley County Coordinated School Health director Andrea Lockerby one of its highest honors — the Connie Hall-Givens Coordinated School Health Award.

“Connie Givens was kind of the founder of Coordinated School Health in Tennessee,” Lockerby said.

Hall-Givens was a school nurse instrumental in getting support for the legislation which eventually funded the program statewide.

Lockerby knew she was being nominated for the award at the beginning of the school year.

“You get nominated from the work they’ve seen you do, then you have to write a bio (explaining your work),” Lockerby said.

She was presented with the award at the association’s annual conference

Coordinated School Health in Bradley County has been making great strides, the most recent accomplishment being the adoption of a physical education curriculum. Lockerby has also worked hard to secure funding for programs, nutrition education and equipment. According to a Bradley County Schools Coordinated School health press release, Lockerby and her team have secured more than $1 million in grants and in-kind funding in addition to funding provided by the state and federal governments.

“Ms. Lockerby possesses a resolute desire to not only improve the health and wellness of our students and staff but to show and emphasize the link of physical activity to increased academic performance,” director of Bradley County Schools Johnny McDaniel said in a press release. “Her passion and success have truly made her a prized recipient of such an award.”

Lockerby said her department is also working to become a training site for adopting and implementing the PE4Life philosophy. Representatives from the program’s national office visited Bradley County earlier this school year to see how the school system had adopted the ideas.

None of this would be possible without the support of the Tennessee General Assembly and local partners, Lockerby said.

Before coming to Bradley County Schools, Lockerby worked as a registered dietitian. She said Coordinated School Health brings together and emphasizes key elements essential to good health — nutrition and physical activity.

The Connie Hall-Givens Coordinated School Health Award “is given annually to recognize and honor an outstanding CSH coordinator on the state level who best promotes exemplary physical education and health programs and/or physical activity under the Coordinated School Health umbrella,” according to a press release.