CASPER’s Mission

CASPER advocates for quality physical education taught by REAL teachers in order to help ALL students develop the skills, knowledge and desire they need to become physically active now and for the rest of their lives. CASPER also advocates for respect for the physical education profession by holding teachers and school administrators accountable for purposeful, quality physical education that is congruent with national standards and guidelines.

CASPER’s Vision

Quality physical education taught by REAL TEACHERS will be the norm, and all students will learn what they need in order to be physically active for the rest of their lives! All physical education programs are Part Of The Solution.

CASPER is Part Of The Solution!

CASPER is a grassroots organization made up of REAL teachers, parents, school administrators, students and other people who are concerned about health issues related to physical activity.

Our mission is to challenge physical education programs to help provide solutions to the problem of inactivity in our society.

Our Part Of The Solution centers around advocating for REAL physical education teachers and programs that demonstrate a commitment to quality, purposeful physical education, -the kind that helps youth develop the skills, knowledge, and desire that lead to a lifetime of participation in physical activity.

All of CASPER’s efforts are based on the national standards and guidelines for physical education, including the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

CASPER is a non-profit foundation housed at California State University, Chico.
CASPER was founded in 1998 by Cathrine Himberg, Ph.D., a professor at California State University, Chico, and her son, Joakim Roussell (age 9 at that time). They were quickly joined by Gayle Hutchinson, Ed.D., and hundreds of REAL teachers, professors, students, school administrators and parents in the United States, Canada, and many other countries all over the world.