Imagine Charter School at Weston welcomed Doug Shanahan as its new athletic director and physical education teacher this year. As a former professional athlete, he brings a new level of sportsmanship to the school.
Shanahan is a former Major League Lacrosse player. He began his athletic career playing both football and lacrosse in college. He was a three-time All American in football as well as recipient of the first ever Tewaaraton Trophy, the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman. Following college, he went on to play professional lacrosse. A two-time member of Team USA, Shanahan was a member of the 2002 U.S. World Lacrosse Championship title team, where he received All-World and Championship MVP honors.
Now Shanahan is bringing his winning spirit to Imagine Charter Weston. “My goals are quite simple for Physical Education. I want to have a fun, loving, caring environment all while increasing each student’s overall awareness and knowledge of their body and its capabilities.”
He believes Physical Education is an important subject in school today, especially because of the increase in childhood obesity. “Children need to understand how their body works, how it breaks down fat, how it reacts to exercise, and what exercises they can do to help themselves,” shares Shanahan. “To me, PE is a lifelong class. The base knowledge they learn as young students carries with them throughout adulthood.”
Shanahan also credits PE classes and sports for building well-rounded students. “Physical Education and athletics overall support students academically, socially and physically. There is plenty of science that supports how physical activity has a profound effect on the brain. The increase of oxygen to the brain improves memory and recall, which is a huge part of academic learning. Socially, team-building and cooperative learning allows our students to work with others, build trust, foster group problem solving skills, and develop long-lasting friendships.”
In addition to his work at Imagine Charter Weston, Shanahan is also the lacrosse coach for Western High School. Under his leadership, the Wildcats have won back to back FHSAA District 29 Championships. He is also coach of the Empire Elite lacrosse club, a year-round travel program.
Shanahan also runs a national recruiting company called Nexstar Lacrosse. “It assists in placing lacrosse players in college and runs a national lacrosse showcase each January. Every year 30 to 40 lacrosse coaches from top schools fly in to South Florida to check out our local talent.”