News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters Rotary Club is determined to make sure every third grader in Sisters will be able to swim.
The club unveiled a new swim education project in partnership with Sisters Elementary School and Sisters Athletic Club at a Rotary meeting on Tuesday, March 2.
The effort is the local club's "Centennial Project" honoring the 100th anniversary of the founding of Rotary.
The swim program will be launched this spring with the opening of Sisters Athletic Club's new indoor pool facility in April. Third graders will get six lessons this year. Next year, when the program hits its full stride, the third graders will receive a comprehensive, 18-lesson course designed to make them safe and confident in the water.
"The kids are definitely going to know how to swim when they're done," said physical education teacher Kathy Kemper-Green, who will lead the program for Sisters Elementary School.
Sisters Athletic Club is waiving pool fees and donating half of the cost of instruction. Rotary is funding the rest of the instruction costs, to the tune of $2,000 per year. The program will run indefinitely, according to Rotarian Mike Bidasolo.
Tate Metcalf of Sisters Athletic Club expressed appreciation for the Rotary Club's support.
"This is something Sisters Athletic Club can't do by ourselves," he said.
Approximately 80 to 100 students will participate, spending about 40 minutes in the water for each lesson. There will be two club instructors in the pool in addition to the third grade teachers and/or parent volunteers. Classes start in mid-April. For more information call 549-8981.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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