PS 126 MAT
MAT Sports & Electives
ATHLETICS
The MAT physical education and athletics department is committed to providing every single student the opportunity to participate in an after-school sport as well as enjoy learning about health and recreation during Phys Ed classes. Our physical education curriculum is designed around movement and inclusion and our students have access to two large gymnasiums, two grass and turf fields, a rock-climbing wall, a high tech fitness room featuring treadmills, rowing machines, elliptical and video gaming featuring Nintendo Wii’s and XBox 360 as well as a brand new state of the art virtual reality gaming system which incorporates three projected 10-foot gaming screens. Our after-school sports program involves over 80% of the student population and children have the opportunity to choose between 18 sports on 38 teams making MAT the largest and most inclusive sports program in the United States for a public middle school. No child is cut from a sport ever, but rather placed on a team that fits his or her abilities. MAT has won 52 NYC middle school sports championships in the last 15 years, the most of any school in NYC history. Our athletic director and physical education teacher John DeMatteo was named NYC middle school teacher of the year four times (3 blackboard awards and one education update award) and has been featured with the former First Lady Michelle Obama on national television to promote fitness in the country. The MAT Phys Ed and sports program was chosen to present at the world health conference in New Zealand in 2014 after a doctorate study on our school revealed how successful our model has been in the U.S. and how schools worldwide could benefit from a similar effort.
SPORTS OFFERED:
Flag Football. • Basketball. •. Soccer. •. Baseball
Softball. •. Tennis. • Table Tennis. • And Many More
Visual Art
The Middle School Art program at MAT is focused on cultivating skills in visual and conceptual problem-solving that are pertinent to the future of MAT’s diverse and highly capable student community. The rigorous course content exposes students to both traditional and non-traditional ways of thinking about and making art.
All students are supported in their art learning and creative activity, regardless of their level of involvement in the arts within and beyond school, and course content is made as equally accessible as possible to students in both hybrid and remote learning models through the use of multi-modal teaching tools and activities. Portfolio and audition coaching is offered for students planning to apply to arts-based high schools.
Students complete the program with a more meaningful appreciation for visual art and ability to apply visual thinking skills to future endeavors.
