Call it the rubber chicken recipe for bouncing back from broken hips. Or better yet, not falling at all. “We don’t all need to know how to dribble a basketball,” says UFV Kinesiology associate professor Joanna Sheppard, a former competitive point guard. “But we need to know how to dodge, deke, dive to get out…

It’s four life-changing weeks in a Caribbean nation, but it’s no vacation. Each year, UFV students from the bachelor’s degree programs in Kinesiology and Education head to the tiny island country of Antigua to volunteer as physical education leaders in elementary schools. It’s a win-win-win situation for the UFV students, the children they interact with,…

Once again a group of UFV students are having the experience of a lifetime by spending several weeks interacting with school children in Antigua through the Champions for Health Promoting Schools project. Led by Dr. Joanna Sheppard of the Kinesiology and Physical Education department, the group is comprised mostly of KPE students, but this year…

Three wise, warm Antiguan teachers joined University of the Fraser Valley Kinesiology instructorJoanna Sheppard — and her students — in elementary schools across the Chilliwack school district this month. It’s the first visit by Antiguan educators since Sheppard began taking students to the Caribbean island seven years ago (including five expeditions with UFV students and…

UFV's Joanna Sheppard was recently interviewed by Shaw TV for their new program, Go Fraser Valley. Sheppard spoke about Champions for Health Promoting Schools — an initiative she runs which sees students travel to Antigua every May to work within primary schools. For more information on the program, visit ufvtoday.ca/antigua To watch the full Shaw…

Building relationships, gaining confidence, and being humbled are just a few of the experiences had by a group of UFV students on a recent trip to Antigua with the Champions for Health Promoting Schools program. In its seventh year, the project also reached new heights — from being commended by the Antiguan minister of education,…

Following an early morning tropical rainstorm over the Caribbean island of Antigua, the sun eventually came out on Friday afternoon, helping a group of UFV students host a successful Unity Games. The event is described as a Canadian sports day with a twist, by UFV Kinesiology instructor Joanna Sheppard. This is Sheppard's seventh year hosting…

UFV students hit the Antiguan airwaves on air Wednesday morning to highlight their program, Champions for Health Promoting Schools. Mackenzie Edwards of Abbotsford and Amber Major from Agassiz were featured on the popular morning show,  Goodmorning Jo Jo on Hitz FM 91.9. Along with UFV Kinesiology instructor Joanna Sheppard, the creator of the program, they…

The sound of upbeat Caribbean music could be heard from across the field, despite the thudding rain and a large waterproof tarp covering the speakers. The air was sticky and warm, and the race track was pooling with water. However, the enthusiastic participants - some of whom were competing in bare feet - were happy…

  Teaching life skills through physical and health education is the goal for a group of UFV students heading to Antigua for the month of May. The 18 students will be heading to the Caribbean island for four weeks for a project titled Champions for Health Promoting Schools. Consisting of mostly kinesiology and physical education…