Oak Hill Community School is home to a physical education duo that loves their job, their students and athletics. Paul Bates and Mark Heysse are veterans in District 742. Heysse has been a physical education teacher for 29 years with the District and with Oak Hill since the school opened. Bates has taught in the District for 28 years. In fact, this is the second time the duo has worked together.
“My first year in the District I worked with Mark,” remembers Bates.
“I trained him in well,” laughs Heysse.
The pair, now back together at Oak Hill, has a great thing going. They have a certain comradery and passion for teaching kids about physical activity.
“My job is one of the best in St. Cloud,” explains Heysse. “I get to work with young children and teach them how to play and work together. The most rewarding part of my job is watching kids have fun while they sweat and help each other during any specific game.”
Bates agrees, “The first emphasis is on fun. Kids are interested when they have fun. The classroom is never the same.”
In fact, there are a lot of math concepts involved with physical education: measuring heart rate, games with math, timed rotations and more.
Their goal is to increase motor skills in students and improve their confidence in trying activities such as team sports or individual activities. Both feel that by doing so, it will build confidence in adulthood as well as promote a healthy lifestyle.
“It also is about keeping them connected in the community–to get them involved in community programs and athletics,” says Bates.
Both share a love of not only physical education, but of sports, and they knew it from an early age.
“From the time I was 5-years-old, I’d be in a park,” says Heysse. “I’d grab a glove and go play.”
“I played football, hockey and tennis growing up,” adds Bates.
Bates continued playing tennis at St. Cloud State University while Heysse received a football scholarship to North Dakota State University. Heysse transferred to Concordia College his second year where his team won the National Championship, and he was voted All-American and inducted into the Concordia Hall of Fame.
Athletics determined their life-long career paths.
“It was my sophomore year [in college] when I realized I loved working with kids,” reflects Bates.
He has been coaching for 30 years, including Tech High School hockey and currently the Tech boys and girls tennis teams.
“I wouldn’t trade all the sweat and aches [from sports] for anything,” says Heysse. “Athletics helped me get my first job. It introduced me to hardships and how to work through them.”
Heysse has coached basketball, football and soccer. He’s been on the Tech football sidelines as the defensive coordinator coach, but his favorite age to coach is elementary.
Bates agrees, “You connect with a lot of them in a lot of ways besides sports.”
Even better is when Bates and Heysse get to coach their former elementary students later in high school.
Bates reflects, “It’s great seeing kids come back after graduation and that connection is still there.”
Outside the teaching and coaching hours, Bates and Heysse are doing the same thing they’ve always loved–physical activity. Bates loves to play tennis, rollerblade, skate and cross-country ski. Heysse loves biking, fishing, hunting and working out.
Oak Hill Phys-ed students win big with this dynamic teaching duo on their side!
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