Sikeston schools and YMCA team up to teach life-saving water skills

SIKESTON — Sikeston Public Schools and the Sikeston YMCA have partnered to provide swim lessons for all second graders through a Missouri Department of Public Safety grant.

According to Andy McGill, Sikeston R-6 assistant superintendent of human resources and support, the grant is specifically for teaching swimming lessons to second graders and for water safety and life safety skills.

McGill said the swim lessons started last month with Southeast Elementary and this month Wing Elementary students are participating in the lessons. Once Wing’s sessions are complete, Lee Hunter Elementary students will take part in the program.

“Every Tuesday and Thursday, our buses will take the students over there from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.,” McGill said.

According to McGill, there are teachers as well who go to the YMCA to help with supervision of the children who bring their own swimming gear.

McGill said the district utilizes its special classes for the swim lessons so the students don’t miss their regular content.

“So, their classes like PE, Art or Music, are their special classes,” McGill said.

Shae Clinton, YMCA’s aquatics director, said the purpose of the swim lessons is to teach the children how to swim in case of an emergency.

“The end result is if a child accidentally trips or falls or gets into some type of body of water, that they apply these life saving techniques that we are teaching them,” Clinton said.

With the swim grant, the first thing instructors focus on is getting the children comfortable.

“We start off with the basics: getting them comfortable with getting their faces wet,” Clinton said. “That way, when they do hit the water, they don’t start to panic.”

Clinton said after getting the students comfortable in the water, they then focus on floating on their backs.

“We teach them how to float on their back,” Clinton said. “That way if they can’t make it to a wall by front crawling, they will be able to float on their back and wait for somebody to come to their aid.”

The front crawl is a swimming stroke where an individual is face down in the water and alternates arm strokes with a flutter kick.

“We teach them front crawling, too,” Clinton said.

Clinton said when teaching front crawling, they start the children with using swim noodles to help them have support and eventually move to front crawling without the noodles.

Clinton emphasized the progress they have seen.

“Just the progress we have seen with these second graders has been beyond rewarding,” Clinton said.

According to Clinton, it’s important to get children comfortable in water.

“If a child isn’t comfortable with water, the first thing they are going to do in a situation is panic,” she said. “Whenever panic sets in, everything in your body starts to tense up and that is like a rock, like a boulder, going straight down to the bottom of where ever you’re at.

Clinton continued: “That’s why it’s important to make sure that a child is able to swim and float and not panic. It’s important for the kids to know how to relax and not panic.”

According to McGill, he has heard nothing but positive feedback regarding the swim lessons.

“We just really appreciate our partnership with the YMCA, and we thank our transportation department for taking the kids over,” McGill said. “And we thank our administration and teachers.

McGill continued: “To be able to offer them this kind of learning, to offer them some life-saving skills and water safety is important and could help them throughout life.”

According to Clinton, if anyone is interested in regular swimming lessons offered at the YMCA, they can call the Sikeston facility at 573-472-9622.