Each Tuesday during the fall semester, we’ll bring you feature stories on Slippery Rock athletics alumni that have gone on to interesting, unique or exceptional careers since departing The Rock. For our fourth feature, we check in on 2012 SRU alumna Lisa Belcastro, who is currently an adapted physical education teacher for the Buck Lodge Middle School of the Prince George’s County Public School District as well as a delegate for the 11th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. 

Lisa Belcastro, a 2012 SRU graduate with a degree in health and physical education, starts a typical school day for the Buck Lodge Middle School like many other educators, by waiting in anticipation for what the day will bring and looking forward to seeing her students. 

What is different about Belcastro’s school day as an adapted physical education teacher is the opportunity to provide her students, who all have varying physical disabilities, the chance to be included and participate in every activity the class offers. 

This wasn't a possibility before Belcastro took her current job. To make it possible, she began creating her own equipment that would could be adapted for use by individuals with physical disabilities. The equipment has attracted attention from the U.S. Department of State and other countries around the world looking to make a similar impact for athletes with physical disabilities. 

The work doesn’t stop for Belcastro after the school day ends. Following the final bell, she turns her attention to fighting for the well-being of her constituents of Baltimore County, Maryland as the representative for 11th legislative district of Maryland’s House of Delegates. 

Belcastro strives to give a voice to her electors and provide equal opportunities for her students and athletes around the globe. The drive to serve and to give opportunities to others that have been under represented started for Belcastro, who was a four-year member of the Slippery Rock field hockey team, during her freshman year in 2007 when she decided to major in health and physical education at The Rock. 

FINDING FIELD HOCKEY

Belcastro found the game of field hockey after several stops across the map early in her life. Born in Illinois, the Belcastro family also made stops in Michigan and Ohio before finally settling in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where Belcastro remembers her first experience with field hockey. 

“I remember seeing a couple of my neighbor friends playing in the front yards with sticks I’d never seen before,” said Belcastro. “I’d never seen a game like that before and I remember trying it out with them and really enjoying it.” 

From there, Belcastro began to develop friendships and realize just how big the game of field hockey was in Pennsylvania. Crediting the friendships she built through the sport, she continued her field hockey career into high school where she suited up for Central Bucks-West as a goalie. 

Belcastro compiled a decorated high school career, earning a spot in the 2006 Philadelphia All-Star Classic game along with being named team MVP during her senior season. She still holds the Central Bucks-West school record for saves in a game, season and career. 

Following a stellar career at the prep level, Belcastro advanced to the collegiate circuit where she became a mainstay for the Slippery Rock field hockey team and one the best goalkeepers in program history. She is The Rock’s all-time leader in saves (689) and games started (74).

As a senior, Belcastro was selected to take part in the 2010 NFHCA Division ll North/South Senior All-Star Game. Just as impressive as her success on the field were her achievements in the classroom, where she was a Dean’s List student who also earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors twice. 

As her storied career at The Rock came to a close, Belcastro recalled her final collegiate game against Indiana (Pa.) and some of the unique circumstances that surrounded that day. 

“The memory that sticks out most vividly is the last field hockey game I ever played for Slippery Rock,” said Belcastro. “It was a game against IUP on the road and there was an opportunity that we could make playoffs, but we had to win that game.

“The game was early in the morning and for some reason the official showed up late and with a football game coming up our game had to be postponed to later in the day. We ended up spending six hours waiting for our game to start. That time together we spent as a team really brought us together. We didn’t allow a single goal and ended up beating them and it’s still one of the best games I was ever a part of during my time at Slippery Rock.”

Although SRU narrowly missed out on a postseason berth, it was a fitting ending for Belcastros’ field hockey career at The Rock as she made 10 saves to secure her fourth career shutout. As her career on the field ended, the next steps in her postgraduate journey would take Belcastro to even greater heights. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

After graduating from Slippery Rock with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and a minor in adapted physical activity, Belcastro moved to Baltimore County, Maryland, where she began her career as an adapted physical education teacher at Buck Lodge Middle School of the Prince George’s County School District. 

Belcastro credits her time at Slippery Rock for driving her to become an adapted physical education teacher. 

“I recognized that I wanted to be an adapted physical education teacher after I started my minor program during my freshman year,” said Belcastro. “I had my first class with Dr. Robert Arnhold and I loved it. He had such a passion for adapted physical activity and I wanted to be surrounded by all the professors who had that same passion for the field within the program. Everyone was so dedicated to the cause. It was something that I really wanted to be a part of and had a passion for.”

That passion set Belcastro on a path to provide her students with the same opportunities as their peers and it’s something that she is very passionate about to this day.

“The important thing to know is that any student regardless of their disability is able to do anything, it’s just going to look a little different,” said Belcastro. “You have to be willing as a teacher to think outside the box and find those creative ways to allow your students to participate in that activity.”

The pursuit of allowing her students equal opportunities can sometimes be very challenging for Belcastro.

“The most challenging part of my job is having the proper funding and resources,” said Belcastro. “When you go into the real world, funding and resources are very hard to come by so to address those challenges I’ve had to come up with unique and inexpensive ways to make sure that barrier doesn’t exist.”

Making the extra effort to provide her students with the opportunity to participate in physical education activities led Belcastro to building her own adapted sports equipment, which she learned to do during her time at SRU. 

“I was always taught during my time in the physical education program to think outside the box,” Belcastro said. “We were always looking at creative ways to engage those with disabilities in physical activity.

“I’ve started building equipment for my students with disabilities out of PVC pipe, which is inexpensive and easy to work with. Through that I’ve been able to allow my students, even those with the most severe physical disabilities, to participate in the curriculum and all activities.” 

As a result of her work in building equipment for her students, Belcastro has received recognition at the national level. She has worked with the U.S. Department of State on a series of educational videos as well as attended a conference in Tennessee to show other physical education professionals in countries around the world how to build equipment like hers. 

“Being able to share my work across the globe is something that’s very important to me,” said Belcastro. “It came to be after I took part in the Global Sport Mentoring Program that I attend twice a year. They bring people from all over the globe to learn about disability sport programs here in America. 

“When professionals from other countries came over and I began to show them how I build my equipment, they were really drawn to it because the funding issues that I face are the same issues they are facing in their home countries.”

A CALL TO PUBLIC SERVICE

With her work in adapted physical education taking the national stage, Belcastro turned her attention back to the local level and the glaring issues facing the public-school system in Baltimore County, Maryland that have been present since her first day at Buck Lodge. 

“It was my first year of teaching when I found out I was going to be teaching in a hallway,” said Belcastro. “That presents a lot of challenges for students with disabilities. We would have to stop class every time classes changed during the day. 

“The spaces were always very small and we had very large class sizes. I knew from that day on that something was very wrong. That set me on a path of advocacy and the search for meaningful solutions.”

Through that path, Belcastro began to learn the role of the public-school system, the school board and then the local county council. Belcastro realized the importance of getting officials in those local government entities elected that were going to make funding for education, along with the building of schools, a priority. 

“I started working on campaigns for people who believed in those issues and helped them get elected,” said Belcastro. "About two years later, I took a part-time job with the Baltimore City Council and I learned the legislative process. I began to learn how to turn advocacy into action.”

Through that process, she became aware of a vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates in its 11th legislative district. Belcastro decided to take it upon herself to attack the issues in her district. 

“Being a teacher and in the legislature presents a unique opportunity and perspective,” Belcastro said. “It seemed like the right time for me to step up and fill that vacancy. I really wanted to advocate for the things I care about, which is education and making sure that students get to go to school in 21st century buildings.”

After being recommended for the seat by the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee, Belcastro was officially appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and sworn into office on March 10, 2020. 

There have been many rewarding experiences in Belcastro’s first six months in the legislature, as well as a fair share of challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in her district. 

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to advocate for my constituents,” said Belcastro. “Being sworn in during a pandemic has presented many challenges. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail every single day to make sure that my constituents get things like resources for food and unemployment benefits, along with making sure they have access to testing and healthcare resources.”

Another issue that Belcastro has focused on in her short time in the legislature is the issue of voter participation in the upcoming general election. 

“This is absolutely the most important election of our lives,” said Belcastro. “Whatever the means are that people are going to vote in November, we need to make sure they do it. I want to make sure my constituents have all the resources they need to make their voices heard.

“I’m pushing really hard to make sure people understand the different ways they can obtain a ballot, how they can submit their ballot and the different ways they can make their voices heard. Making sure that not one vote is suppressed and everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard is a very important issue to me.”

Looking long-term at her district, the newly appointed delegate wants to put a focus on the rebuilding of schools that are no longer fit to house students and faculty during the school day.

“Maryland, especially in Baltimore County where I serve, has some schools that are rather old,” Belcastro said. “We have schools that have brown water and are 50 percent over capacity leading to overcrowding issues. We really need to put a focus on getting these schools rebuilt and making sure students aren’t going to schools that are overcrowded.

“Students need to go to schools that have the resources they need to be successful in this ever-changing world, especially now due to the pandemic. I really want to focus on getting our schools upgraded and increasing funding with high concentrations of poverty.”

Outside of the realm of education, Belcastro plans to put a focus on affordable housing for her constituents during the next legislative session.

“Affordable housing is a big issue across the state of Maryland, so during this next legislative session I am going to be putting forward some bills relating to affordable housing,” said Belcastro. “It’s something that I view as a passion issue of mine over the next few years.”

REFLECTING BACK

With a litany of lofty goals lying ahead in both her work in the legislature and in the classroom, Belcastro remembers her time at The Rock fondly and credits what she learned at SRU with playing a big role in where she is today. 

“I really cherish my days at Slippery Rock University.” Belcastro said. “There really isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t take a moment to pause and think about my time at Slippery Rock. Everything that I’ve done and everything I’ll do in the future is because of the professors that cared so deeply about me and always took the time to teach me.

“Their heart and passion for the profession really stuck with me. I am so thankful to Slippery Rock University for everything that it has done for me.”

With several barriers and obstacles lying in her path; whether it be the fight for funding in Maryland’s public schools, voter participation in the upcoming election or spreading the message of equal opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities, Belcastro is certain to make sure her voice will always be heard as a voice of hope. 

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