Swimming might not be on your mind as we head into the colder months, but it is on the lesson plan for a school district in Stark County.
I like to highlight the unique ways kids are learning across Northeast Ohio, which took me to Uniontown, where goggles are included for the kids!
It is not what you’d expect, but a pool day is part of their school day.
“It’s so fun,” smiled Mrs. Lindsey Dingies. “We love swim lessons. It’s our favorite day of the week.”
Every first grader in Plain Local Schools now receives free swim lessons at the local YMCA. That is about 450 students across six elementary schools in the district.
“We are the Middlebranch Minnow Club,” said Dingies, referencing her shirt with a fish logo and the name. “All the teachers have our matching shirts for swim days.”
Different schools come on different days.
The district provides bussing, the YMCA provides instructors, and the kids bring the results.
Dingies told me she is so proud of her students and the gains they’ve made, which she sees in the confidence in the pool and in the classroom, too.
“They’re so brave now,” she said. “Our highest group is actually doing real dives off the diving board. They were nervous to even step on the board before. Our lowest group, who was nervous to put their head in, and now they’re bobbing the whole time!”
The students come once a week for eight weeks for the 30-minute swim lessons. Then, it’s time to dry off and get back to class.
Kaylee Ortega, a first grader, told me it was kind of scary at first.
“But now that I know how it feels now, I’m really confident,” smiled Kaylee.
“We have the best teachers ever, and they’re so nice,” said Phoenix James, a first grader.
Justis Conley said swimming used to be a bit tricky for him.
“I had to wear something that made me float, but now, I’m getting better,” he said confidently.
Nevin Walker said about his new rocket dive he just created in lessons that starts like a cannonball, but then there’s a change-up.
“When I’m about to hit the water, I do like a pencil dive,” he explained.
“I don’t really have a favorite part because all of it is really fun,” added Lucas Lepley.
The fun is functional.
Drowning is the second-leading cause of death among children in this age group, according to the CDC.
“A lot of these kids would never have access to swim lessons and so we’re lucky enough that we get to give it to them, and now we know when they go out for the summer, they’ll be safe,” said Dingies.
The parents I spoke with told her how grateful they are for this program.
The free swim lessons are made possible thanks to a private donation and partnerships between Plain Local Schools and the YMCA of Central Stark County.
“It’s an opportunity to really provide these children with life-saving skills,” said Ben Wheeler, VP of operations for the YMCA of Central Stark County. “If they fall into a backyard pool, they’re going to know how to get to the edge and get out.”
Wheeler told me that water safety and drowning prevention are foundational to the YMCA and its service to the community.
“We’re not in the business of teaching Olympic swimmers,” he said. “We’re in the business of building self-esteem and self-confidence and developing a life skill these kids are going to have forever.”
Wheeler said that because of additional endowment funding, the YMCA is confident that free swim lessons during the school day for all first graders will continue for years to come and possibly even expand to include other school districts.
