When diagnosed with heart failure during the 2021-2022 school year, Glen Lea Elementary School educator Dexter Price did not plan to continue teaching.

With the support and encouragement from his wife and fellow educator, Denise Price, his supervisor, Mark Brandenburg, and Glen Lea’s principal, James Gordon, Mr. Price changed his mind and returned to work shortly before the school year ended.

Upon his return, Mr. Price, 64, who teaches health and physical education to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, helped make significant changes to sports at the school. His work did not go unnoticed. Mr. Price earned one of three awards for health and physical education teacher of the 2022-2023 school year for Henrico County Public Schools.

After returning to Glen Lea in September 2021, Mr. Price went on family medical leave two months later in November when aftter learning his heart diagnosis. Although his journey from that point wasn’t easy, Mr. Price persevered.

Following his doctor’s orders, he was put on a defibrillator and pacemaker. He followed a daily fitness regimen to gradually increase his cardio. Initially he could only walk for five minutes before becoming tired. He noticed improvement in two months. His primary care physician and cardiologist worked with him to increase his stamina so that he could pass a physical before returning to work.

Throughout the process was the constant support of Mrs. Price, who was diagnosed with heart failure 20 years ago. She helped him build himself back up, said Mr. Price, to the extent that he returned to Glen Lea to complete the 2021-2022 school year.

Mr. Price also taught the full 2022- 2023 school year, where he continued to help implement multiple sports programs at Glen Lea with full support from the school’s administration, said Ed Schneck, the school’s assistant principal.

In addition to coaching basketball and soccer for second through fifth grade students, he coaches tennis, volleyball and track and field for third through fifth grade students.

And if that’s not enough, Mr. Price leads free sports camps for Glen Lea and students from other area schools. To help inspire and motivate his students, Mr. Price invites guests such as Andre Ingram of the South Bay Lakers, and former NBA player Terry Davis to speak and spend time with students. His goal is to inform the youngsters that whatever they strive for is achievable if they put in the work.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Mr. Price served in the U.S. Marines between 1978 and 1985 before attending Shaw University in North Carolina, he said. He previously taught at Reid Elementary School in Richmond, and has taught at Glen Lea for more than six years.

“In this initial year of these sports occurring at Glen Lea, Coach Price exceeded all expectations and provided not only Glen Lea Elementary opportunities, but our surrounding schools the same opportunities,” Mr. Schneck stated in an email.

“I’m just honored to win the award because I was at my lowest,” Mr. Price said. “When I came back, the principal just lit a fire in me.”

Mr. Price does not plan to retire anytime soon, he said. For the upcoming school year, he plans to help implement a “path to college” program where students can visit colleges and universities to give them early exposure to higher education.

Chesterfield County Public Schools and Richmond Public Schools also recognized athletics teachers this year. Kate Doctor, a teacher in the Health Professions and Therapies Specialty Center at Monacan High School, won both Teacher of the Year and High School Teacher of the Year for Chesterfield County Public Schools. Ms. Doctor teaches exercise science, sports medicine and introduction to health and medical science, according to Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Tyrail “Ty” White, a teacher and the head basketball coach at John Marshall High School, received the Lucille Ball Impact Award for Richmond Public Schools. The award recognizes faculty and staff that have greatly impacted students, according to Richmond Public Schools.