Award Recipients
About The Don Hellison TPSR Award
The Don Hellison Award, established in 2018 by the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) Alliance, honors educators and youth workers who exemplify the values of Dr. Don Hellison, a pioneer in humanistic physical education. Hellison developed the TPSR model to teach life skills and foster personal growth through physical activity, particularly among underserved youth. Presented annually at the TPSR Alliance conference, the award recognizes individuals committed to empowering young people through responsibility-based teaching practices. It serves as a tribute to Hellison's enduring legacy and his dedication to integrating theory and practice in physical education.
Previous Recipients
Santos J. Flores
PhD Executive Director, Research Associate, Youth Outreach Worker, North Carolina, USA
Santos Flores is a Project Build Outreach Coordinator for Durham County, NC, USA. In this role, he coordinates, designs, and evaluates youth outreach programs utilizing TPSR. Santos studied under Tom Martinek earning his PhD at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. During this time of study and research, Santos developed a deep passion for TPSR. He has since replicated a cross-aged peer mentoring program in Durham NC similar to Dr. Martinek’s Project Effort. Santos engages with youth in an impactful way that recognizes their unique lived experiences and utilizes Capoeira (a type of Brazilian martial art) to engage youth in the intersection of social justice and sport. With his impact throughout the community, Santos was honored with the 2024 Hellison Award.
Carla Werder, Otatara School Deputy Principal and Junior Team Leader, New Zealand
Carla Werder has been an educator her entire career and most recently earned a position as a Deputy Principal in New Zealand. Throughout her career, she has embodied Hellison’s belief that life skills could be taught through physical activity contexts. Carla has coordinated TPSR based sports programs in-school and out-school contexts, created presentations based on these programs in hopes to further encourage and support teachers to implement TPSR in their classrooms, and has even co-published a book, “Health and Physical Education for All” to bring creative ideas to Health and PE curriculum within schools. Carla has since created a TPSR based leadership club for disengaged and disruptive boys. With written testimonies from stakeholders speaking on the positive successes of this program, it was an easy decision for Carla to be the winner of the 2023 Hellison Award.
Kylie Newbold – Parkside Primary School, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Kylie Newbold is a Special Physical Educator teacher and Assistant Principal in an inner-city suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. For the past seven years, Kylie has utilized a blended approach to her PE program using game sense, sport education, and TPSR. Kylie engages all stakeholders (parents, educators, and students) and has written testimonies from student reflections, parents, and other educators on the impact TPSR has had on their lives. As an educator, coach, and parent, Kylie centers the idea of transfer in everything she does. For her relentless pursuit of creating an environment where all students feel valued, Kylie was selected as a co-winner of the 2022 Hellison Award.
Sandy Hagenbach, Heritage Elementary School, Retired Physical Education Teacher, Wisconsin, USA
Sandy Hagenbach has taught as a Physical Educator in the Wisconsin school system for over 45 years. After attending a conference were Don Hellison spoke, Sandy transformed her teaching and truly made TPSR her own, modifying the levels to Respect, Challenge, and Teamwork. She took her personal experiences as a mother and teacher to write a book, “Teaching Children Responsible Behavior, a Complete Toolkit.” TPSR is the overall culture of her gym, and she emphasizes the importance of making sure students feel both physically and emotionally safe. For taking Hellison’s model and transforming it to work for herself and her students, Sandy was a co-recipient of the 2022 Don Hellison Award.
Donovon Lynch (posthumous) – TPSR Program Leader, University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Virginia, USA
Donovon Lynch, a 2019 graduate of UVA Wise, was honored with the Hellison Award for his unwavering commitment to the values of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model. As a standout student, athlete, and mentor, Donovon had a gift for connecting with others, bringing energy, empathy, and authenticity into every interaction. He led with heart and purpose, always seeking to improve the lives around him. Whether providing cues for a physical activity or reflecting in a group circle, Donovon’s powerful presence created space where everyone felt valued and heard. Tragically killed by police in 2021, his legacy continues to ripple through the communities he loved.
Karen Puckett, Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Cooperative Association for Special Education, Illinois, USA
Karen Puckett is a Special Education teacher for the Cooperative Association for Special Education. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago with Don Hellison. Karen has used TPSR in afterschool programs, summer camps, and as a physical education teacher. She has been a trailblazer in applying TPSR in adapted physical education. She has also developed inclusive afterschool programs based in TPSR that bring students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers together. Currently, her primary role is coaching and supporting other adapted physical education teachers and promoting the TPSR model. For her deep and extensive understanding of TPSR and her commitment to passing on the lessons she learned from Don, she was awarded the 2019 Hellison Award.
Erin B. Koslow, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Thomas Harrison Middle School (THMS), Virginia, USA
Erin Koslow (now retired) taught at Thomas Harrison Middle School in Harrisonburg, Virginia for decades. This. After struggling with feelings of burnout, Erin discovered the TPSR model and was reinvigorated. She found the model aligned with her values and helped her to connect with students in ways that created a more positive climate in her gym. After years of integrating TPSR into her planning, instruction and assessment practices, she began driving school-wide initiatives to promote personal and social responsibility. She advocated for such initiatives and secured support from her principal to make these themes part of the school cultures. For her work using TPSR in her own teaching, mentoring other teachers, and creating a demonstration site where TPSR is a key pillar in the school’s culture, Erin was given the inaugural Hellison Award in 2018.