PE Staff
My name is Rachel Blakely and I am thrilled to be the full time physical education and adapted P.E. teacher at Duke Elementary. The primary goal of my physical education program is to improve your student’s health and fitness, motor skills and socialization skills. Another goal is to encourage students to apply the knowledge and skills they learn in physical education and to seek opportunities to be active outside of school.
The Marine Corps has offered our family many opportunities. I have taught physical education in Florida, California and Maryland. This is my 12th year of teaching elementary school physical education. I have a Bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida in HLES/Physical Education and recently earned my Advanced Professional Certificate.
In my free time I enjoy exercising, equestrian riding, Virginia Tech sport events and spending time with my son, husband and our four legged animals.
Hello from Mrs. Wood. In addition to teaching physical education for over 20 years I am both a certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer. I believe that fitness incorporates more than just the physical but also the social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive domains. I am a passionate advocate for wellness and am currently pursuing certification in Tai Chi Flow. I love teaching physical education and helping students find fitness activities that inspire them to move towards healthy life-long habits.
Hello. My name is Sandor Morris. I am so excited to start my 5th year as a PE teacher here at Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School. My first encounter with teaching was way back in 1995 when I started as a pre-trained teacher. That experience motivated me to enter teachers’ college where I obtained my first teaching qualifications in 2001. I later read for my bachelor's degree in Physical Education at the G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sports in 2006 and a masters degree in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Technology, Jamaica in 2011. Prior to joining the staff here at Duke I was a primary school principal and supervisor for seven (7) years. I also taught second, third, and sixth grades for just over 10 years. In 2014, I was awarded as one of the top performing principals in Jamaica.
I believe in lifelong learning, and that every child can and must learn. Additionally, I concur that physical education is an essential part of each student’s holistic development. This belief drives my desire to help students develop lifelong physical activity engagement. As a MSDE certified K-12 P E teacher, my desire is to provide each learner with the opportunity to self actualize in a safe and highly conducive learning environment. This setting will enable them to meet or exceed state standards, and simply have fun in my PE classes.
As a husband and father, family means the world to me. We enjoy traveling, watching or playing sports, exploring new technology, reading, and debating the issues of the day….
