Schools team up with YMCA for water safety

Soldier Creek students participate in swim class

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Students at Soldier Creek Elementary School learned important lessons last week.

The school partnered with the Midwest City YMCA to teach students the basics of swimming and water safety.

Second-graders took field trips to the YMCA to learn how to be in and around water safely. Swim instructors taught the classes in the pool.

Water safety is an important lesson, said Samantha Marez, director of the Midwest City YMCA.

“Oklahoma is number eight in the nation for youth drownings, and we’re trying to bring schools in and teach those skills to as many kids as possible,” she said.

Marez said the program was temporarily halted during COVID and recently returned.

Soldier Creek is the third Mid-Del school to take part in the program. The YMCA also worked with Tinker and Epperly Heights elementaries.

Soldier Creek principal Caren Rickwalt has fond memories of going to the YMCA as a child. She participated in a similar program when she was a teacher at a different school district and was excited to do the same at Soldier Creek.

“It’s not just about swimming in a pool but learning how to be around water, lakes, rivers and streams,” Rickwalt said. “Every summer we hear about adults and children drowning, so hopefully this can prevent that in the future.”

Soldier Creek has about 120 second-grade students. They divided the group into two groups for the water safety class.

“The kids just love it,” Rickwalt said. “Some of them know about the YMCA, but they all had a great time.”

The YMCA is planning to build a new facility in Midwest City through a partnership with the City of Midwest City, Mid-Del Schools, and SSM Health. Marez said the new facility will provide more opportunities to partner with schools and the community.