By Staff
FITNESS CENTER n Michele Maida Smith, director of the Damon Fitness Center at Meridian Community College, stands in front of exercise equipment in the center's weight room. Smith manages the day-to-day operations of the fitness center. Photo by paula merritt / The Meridian Star
By Michele Maida Smith
special to The Star
Feb. 24, 2002
Michele Maida Smith is the director of the Damon Fitness Center at Meridian Community College. She is also a division chair of Wellness and Fitness and an instructor at MCC.
She holds a bachelor of science and master's of science from North Texas State University. In 2001, she received the honor award from the Mississippi Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. It is the highest award given by the state organization.
The Meridian Community College Damon Fitness Center is a bustling building. The pool opens Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 a.m. for lap swimming.
The weight room opens at 7:30 a.m. Classes begin at 8 a.m. in the building.
As the fitness center director, I make sure the general operations of the facility are running smoothly. This includes the day-to-day operations, as well as budgeting and planning.
As the division chair of Wellness and Fitness, I schedule all credit classes in health, physical education and fitness. I also work with our Continuing Education Department in scheduling course offerings such as swimming lessons, ballroom dancing and water aerobics.
Wade Heggie and Kathy Scott are full-time employees of the Damon Fitness Center and we work as a team to try and provide quality wellness opportunities for our students, faculty, staff and community.
My job is really three jobs: fitness center, division chair and instructor. I teach two health courses and one wellness course, one introduction to physical education and one low-impact aerobics course.
My job is a 12-month contract job.
One of my goals is to try and offer quality wellness opportunities for our students at MCC. With a recent report concerning Mississippi's health status, it is critical that we reach as many people as possible to promote a healthy lifestyle.
We try to be receptive to new ideas that are happening in fitness so that our activities appeal to our students. We want them to get involved in wellness activities.
Our building is one energy. Kathy Scott and Wade Heggie work hard at making our building one that helps you feel at ease. We love for our building to be busy and hope we can continue to improve.