Robbins Physical Education teacher honored with Golden Apple award

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Our next Golden Apple award visit takes us to Robbins Elementary school in Eau Claire to recognize a long-time physical education teacher. Al Hudacek inspires his students to be active and makes learning fun! His colleagues say Mr. H’s students love his warm smile and encouraging can-do attitude. Al says the importance of keeping kids on the move during the pandemic has been so important for their overall mental and physical health.

“The pandemic it’s so important to be outside, really playing inside is great but being outside, being active is super important and we’re seeing that the kids are being more and more active and that’s great to see,” says Al Hudacek.

Robbins Elementary principal Jake Donze believes Mr. Hudacek has a tremendous ability to connect with kids.

“He’s a great manager of the kids and he does it through connection and kindness. He’s just someone who, we have 500-plus kids here and he connects with everybody. He’s a really creative instructor, he does a ton outside during the winter as much as in the summer. He can do things actively outside with snowbanks and building stuff out of snow as well he can inside the gym doing a bunch of creative things. He’s a shirt off your back type of guy, he will help anyone out at anytime, always positive, always in a great mood, he’s really a fantastic human being overall,” says Jake Donze.

Mr. H and Robbins Elementary school will split $1,000 from the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and Al will be honored at the Golden Apple awards banquet on April 14th at The Florian Gardens.

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