Colorado Health and Physical Education Summit 2026

Join Mary McCarley, SHAPE America’s 2016 Southern District Health Teacher of the Year and Health Education Content Specialist with Goodheart-Willcox, as she shares best practices for creating skills-based summative performance tasks. Participants will leave with 10 new skills-based summative performance tasks for their teacher toolbox as well as complimentary access to G-W’s updated skills-based middle and high school health program.

Join Mary McCarley, SHAPE America’s 2016 Southern District Health Teacher of the Year and Health Education Content Specialist with Goodheart-Willcox, as she shares instructional strategies to engage students in practicing health skills. From warm up activities to in-class assessments and exit tickets, participants will leave with instructional best practices and health assessments for their teacher toolbox as well as complimentary access to our updated skills-based middle and high school health program.

During this session, trainers will introduce 5 types of questions commonly received in a sex ed class and a protocol for responding to help educators slow down and respond with intention. Trainers will demonstrate and lead a large group practice with a variety of questions before giving participants a stack of questions from real students (broken down by age - upper elementary, middle school and high school) for them to practice with in pairs or small groups. The session will close with time for large group processing and debrief around any questions that posed particular challenge.

A Surgeon General's Advisory focuses on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation that stems from a lack of social connection.  While students have many opportunities to connect in school, oftentimes, they find themselves navigating where they belong, how to interact, and how to choose friends, experience dating, and have conversations at home.  With evidence based and activity based lessons, participants will learn aspects of "My Whole Self" and "Making Healthy Decisions" for positive relationships.