By ARCHANA HARIHARAN
From scoring on the lacrosse field to scoring in the gym, Team Sports and Fitness teacher Ms. Kayla Petre joins Jericho High School with a cheerful and outgoing personality.
As a high school student, Ms. Petre could always be found in the gym. Ever since she was a teenager Ms. Petre felt a strong affinity towards fitness. She credits where she is today to all the people who supported her during her teenage years. Ms. Petre especially feels gratitude towards her old gym teachers and coaches with whom she is still in contact. She said, “They’ve known me since I was 5. So over 20 years, I’ve known them and they coached me. I just had so much respect for them, I just loved what they did.”
Graduating from SUNY Cortland, Ms. Petre majored in physical education and mastered in physical education leadership. She also has a health certificate through a dual degree. However, choosing this career path wasn’t her first option. Initially, Ms. Petre wanted to go into nursing. However, since her dream college, SUNY Cortland, didn’t have a nursing program, she decided to major in biomedical science. She then discovered that she wanted to do something related to fitness and went into fitness training. Ms. Petre wanted to leave a bigger impact on people which led her to choose physical education.
Ms. Petre’s favorite sports to play are lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. Currently, she is the assistant coach for varsity lacrosse. Ms. Petre also coaches middle school girls soccer along with junior varsity girls basketball. Sophomore Vanshika T. said, “She’s a great gym teacher. She was a great coach for basketball last year.”
Formerly a member of the middle school faculty, Ms. Petre taught only part-time in the high school. She is now taking on a new adventure as a member of the high school faculty while teaching a couple of classes in the middle school. Admired by both high schoolers and middle schoolers, Ms. Petre leaves a positive impression on everyone she meets. Sophomore Ria B. said, “I think Ms. Petre is the sweetest person ever. She’s so funny, and I love playing basketball with her.”
The middle school girls soccer team shows their admiration for Ms. Petre with a cut-out they made of her.
Not only does Ms. Petre leave a positive impact on her students, but she also has the respect of her colleagues. Curriculum associate for health and physical education Mr. Mankowich said, “She understands the stresses of the academics here and she’s able to help kids de-stress.”
One of Ms. Petre’s goals this year is to help students engage in a healthy lifestyle. She also aspires to help students find their passion just like her teachers did for her. She said, “I want to help people learn how to enjoy living a healthy, active lifestyle.”