Limestone Student Wins Physical Education Scholarship Award

Limestone College senior Joshua Lang has been awarded the 2016 Robert Hampton Scholarship Award by the South Carolina Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (SCAHPERD).

Lang is a 21-year-old native of Pelion, located in Lexington County, and is majoring in Physical Education at Limestone. A member of the Saints baseball team, he expects to graduate in May of 2017.

The Robert Hampton Scholarship Award is given annually to a full-time undergraduate student who serves as a positive role model, assumes responsibility for professional growth, is strong academically, and shows professional commitment through membership and involvement in local, state and/or national organizations. Lang is the first Limestone College student to win the award.

“I would not have been able to achieve this if it were not for the support of my family, my faith, my Associate Professor Cindy Cavanaugh, and the other student-teachers in my class,” Lang said. “I feel fortunate to have received this scholarship award and I appreciate the committee selecting me.”

Lang is currently student-teaching at both Limestone Central Elementary School and Ewing Middle School in Gaffney. After graduation, he hopes to become a Physical Education teacher at a Title 1 School. Title 1 is a federally funded program that assists school systems across the country for students at risk of failure and living at or near poverty. Lang said his long term plans include becoming an Athletics Director.

“Ideally, I would like to go back home and teach there, but I also really enjoy this area as well,” Lang noted. “I like the feel of a small town – somewhere I can hunt, and fish, and make a difference. That’s what attracted me to Limestone. I came up for a visit my senior year in high school because I had a friend who was attending here. I just fell in love with the atmosphere of the school and the community. I played baseball, football, and basketball in high school, and I was able to join the Limestone baseball team and I have loved every minute of it.”

In fact, Lang scheduled his student-teaching assignments for the fall, instead of the usual spring semester, so that he could participate in his senior season with the Saints baseball team.

Lang is also in the midst of completing a South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities research grant. He is examining his theory that physical activity, even as little as just walking, has a positive influence on standardized test scores. Currently, 75 students at Limestone Central Elementary are taking part in Lang’s study.

“The students are all wearing pedometers, and in a few weeks I will be able to collect the data and see if there is a correlation between their physical activity and test scores,” Lang explained. “The work that has gone into this research grant probably had an influence on my selection for the Hampton Scholarship.”

The South Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance is the only association for professionals involved in health, physical, and dance education, in South Carolina. Members are current, retired, or future professionals who work in schools, higher education, community organizations, government, and non-government organizations. The mission of SCAHPERD is “to promote health, physical activity, and wellness among the state’s citizens through effective leadership, professional development, education, and advocacy.”

“This scholarship award shows that Josh is an exceptional student, who will be an exceptional physical education teacher,” Dr. Cavanaugh said. “He has a wonderful work ethic and he is willing to try to improve himself and his teaching.  I am very proud that he was the first from Limestone College to be recognized with this prestigious award. I know that in the future he will represent our physical education certification program, and school, very well.”