Students at Newburgh Free Academy have been busy learning about kayaking, boating, and water safety.
The students, who are part of teacher Kathy Young’s aquatics classes, learned about boating safety and how to paddle a kayak during class. As their skills progress and as trepidation subsides, the students will attempt to paddle through some rougher water.
For the first lesson, students put on their own life jackets, took turns safely entering the kayak in the NFA swimming pool, paddling around the pool, and safely exiting the kayak.
“Learning boat safety and swimming is an important life skill, especially in the area in which we live,” Young observed.
Each year, more than 900 children from birth to age 19 die in unintentional drowning, Young recited. For youngsters ages 5 to 19, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional deaths.
Newburgh Free Academy’s aquatics classes focus on water safety, swimming strokes, diving, swimming for fitness, and boating safety.
