Grade Three students at B.C.E. And Acwsalcta have been learning to ‘Swim to Survive.’ Many thanks to the Centennial Pool and Janice Newkirk for presenting the program which was funded by the Lifesaving Society due to generous grants from the RBC Foundation and BC Transmission Corporation, along with the BCE PAC and SD 49.
Swim to Survive is a Lifesaving Society survival-training program that teaches students the minimum skills needed by all Canadians to survive an unexpected fall into deep water. These are expressed in a skill sequence: Roll into deep water, Tread water (one minute) and Swim 50 metres. The Lifesaving Society has developed a Swim to Survive School program that involves three 15-minute classroom lessons and three one-hour pool sessions.
The three main skills were taught and practiced at the pool in a variety of fun activities and games. “The Lifesaving Society has an aim to have every Grade Three student in BC and the Yukon achieve the Swim to Survive Standard,” says Janice Newkirk, Pool Manager at the Centennial Pool. “This year we were able to reach 33 Grade Three students in the Valley, with both B.C.E. and Acwsalcta students completing the program.”
Students said they felt happy to take the course as it was fun and awesome. Everyone liked the course a lot, especially rolling in the pool head first and sideways. Some said they liked learning to tread water because it helped them to stay up longer. It was cool learning to swim in waves that other kids made using kickboards. One student said, “It was cool to learn how to protect ourselves. Water is pretty dangerous unless you know how to save yourself.”
The Grade Three class appreciated learning how to Swim to Survive. It was an exciting way to learn better swimming skills. Thanks again to Janice Newkirk, the Lifesaving Society, BCE PAC, SD 49, and the pool staff for providing this opportunity for our children