Health enhancement teacher Maureen Thomas may have been nicknamed "P'Nut" because of her diminutive size, but her impact on Big Sky High School in Missoula has been huge. When "health" and "physical education" were combined into a single "health enhancement" program, Ms. Thomas chaired the state committee that developed standards for the new field, and was among the first to base her curriculum on those standards. Included in her curriculum is an elective class that emphasizes the development of lifelong health-related skills and activities. Ms. Thomas also has students design a model of the heart and circulatory system in the school gymnasium, which they use to teach heart-healthy lessons to local elementary students.
1980 University of Montana - Missoula, B.A.
