at Horace Mann ScHooL

athletics at horace mann school
with the girls’ softball team. I loved working with the younger
students, and after all those years watching Coach Russo, I think it
would be wonderful to coach.”
Stories symbolized by Dexter Richard’s work ethic, or Jordan
Taylor’s enthusiasm, Renee McDougal’s inspiration and Ari Hest’s
fond memories—or by MLB player Pedro Alvarez’ gratitude to
Horace Mann—speak to an experience in sports at this School that
will influence a lifetime.
For HM Upper Division Head Dr. David Schiller “That’s what
sports can teach a kid. Part is developmental, part is emotional,
and part is moral,” he said. Reflecting on how important physical
activity has been throughout his own life, as he tempered his scholarship
in English literature and pedagogy with a powerful tennis
game, Dr. Schiller said, “Coaches play a very important role in the
lives of the kids. They put their talent and a huge amount of effort
and hard work into being a benevolent and important influence on
the lives of our students. With full hearts they provide the right kind
of framework for our students to grow.”
Moving Through the HM
Physical Education Curriculum,
Movement First
Movement education in the Nursery Division is a significant pursuit.
It‘s guided today by Cathy McKay who came to Horace Mann
in January 2008 as a member of the ND faculty, rather than as a
physical education teacher visiting from HM’s Riverdale campus.
Experienced teaching physical education and health subjects
at the elementary and middle school levels, she earned a BS in
kinesiology with an emphasis on teacher education. McKay holds a
masters degree in personal and community health, and is completing
her dissertation for her doctorate in education.
Cathy McKay notes that she was attracted to Horace Mann
because of the opportunity the newly-instituted teaching position
offered her to develop curriculum in a subject that can “build a
The Nursery Division’s movement teacher Cathy McKay taught students rolling
techniques.
Alumni in Sports
Ron Blum ’79 and Mike Margolis ’92
George Costanza ended up working
for the New York Yankees by parking
his car in the lot in the Bronx long
enough for him to enter the stadium.
Ron Blum ’79 and Mike Margolis ’92
got to the Yankees through a more
skilled route, albeit to divergent ends.
In 2005 Blum was named primary
national baseball writer at the
Associated Press, where he has
worked since 1986. The Yankees are just one of the teams he covers.
Margolis began working for the Yankees as an intern, served as an editor of
Yankees Magazine, and was appointed, in 2007, as Media Relations
Manager—or spokesman for the New York Yankees. Thus, when Blum wants
to talk Yankees to an official it’s likely that Margolis will take the call, and if
Margolis has a story to spin, it’s likely to land on Ron Blum’s desk. What
brings the two alums together professionally in the hyper-charged world of
NY sports media is a love of baseball, and some terrific writing skills.
bridge to physical education throughout the rest of the Horace
Mann School experience.”
“The ultimate goal of an early childhood movement program
is to provide children the opportunity to develop physical skills.
Children develop fundamental motor patterns between the ages of
2 and 7. This makes the preschool years an ideal time for successful,
developmentally-appropriate instruction through movement.”
“Movement” for the “3’s” focuses on the development of large
muscle or gross motor skills necessary to perform a variety of physical
activities. In this age group the children are also introduced to
concepts of body awareness, space awareness, and relationships,”
McKay explained.
The natural curiosity of young children offers opportunities for
creativity in devising activities that encourage them to explore the
space around them, particularly as they are becoming aware of their
own place within the world. At the same time, McKay emphasized,
“it’s essential to provide a structured movement experience to allow
each child to become familiar with the body’s movement potential.”
McKay taps into her students’ creativity to link movement
education to the ND’s curriculum. A class unit on animals, for example,
presents opportunities for children to imitate hopping and
jumping—using both dramatic play and building gross motor skills.
During the Kindergarten’s study of butterflies the subject of metamorphosis
offered a way to introduce tumbling skills, as McKay has
the children roll from their imagined “egg stage,” practice straight
log rolls as an “emerging chrysalis,” and “transform” into butterflies
by rolling into a standing position. The children also learn body
awareness and space relationships through such manipulative
skills as tossing and catching a beanbag.
For McKay, it is important that children experience success while
building their skills, so the confidence they gain will encourage them
to adopt attitudes necessary to leading healthy and active lives. “The
Horace Mann Magazine Fall 2008
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