Most students know Mary Jo Bauer, Gayle Piepho, and Jamie Robertson as beloved teachers here at summit; however, these ladies double as skilled fitness instructors outside of the building.
Math teacher Jamie Robertson owns a franchise of Jazzercise locations and has been teaching classes twice weekly since 2000. Robertson said she got into Jazzercise through her mom and wanted to stay active because she was a dancer for many years.
“My mom was an owner, so that’s the workout that I kind of grew up knowing, it’s been around for 55 years. I grew up doing studio dance, dancing in college, and then was like, ‘what’s next?’ and said this became my dance outlet,” Robertson said.
Social studies teacher Mary Jo Bauer teaches yoga classes four to five times a month at Gateway Yoga. She said she enjoys yoga classes because it is a positive space where people are motivated to improve themselves mentally and physically.
“I like to see people show up for themselves because yoga is not really a team sport, even though you can practice together with others, but they show up to give back to themselves. The best part is that everybody leaves in a much better physical and mental place than when they walked through the door,” Bauer said.
Math teacher Gayle Piepho teaches body pump and core classes at the YMCA. Piepho said she began by teaching step aerobics but later became involved in teaching weight, body pump, and core classes.
“I was a dancer growing up and once I was through college and didn’t have that outlet of moving my body to music and I needed to find a different way to exercise. I originally started 21 years ago teaching step aerobics, and then it evolved to, working at the YMCA and I also then taught a regular weights class. Then nine years ago, I got trained in body pump and then a year ago, I was starting to do it in core,” Piepho said.
Robertson said her favorite thing about teaching jazzercise classes is the community that surrounds her that is continuously evolving.
“I love that it’s constantly changing, and I love the community and the people that I have met through my many years at jazzercise,” Robertson said.
Bauer has also brought her passions to the school by working along with sports teams and students and staff during Ac-Lab.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work with the boys varsity soccer team, a little bit with cross country, and have done some wellness labs for staff and for students. I also volunteer my time for any group that wants to try something different,” Bauer said.
