125 children participate in school program
By Holly Neumann
Little Wolf School District students are learning to swim with help from the Iola-Scandinavia Community Fitness & Aquatic Center.
“The idea of Manawa Summer School using our facility came about with a contact by Kevin Keller,” center director Tim Welch said. “Mr. Keller runs the summer school program for the Manawa school district and he was interested in our ability to host a large number of their students.”
“The Iola-Scandinavia Fitness & Aquatic Center is a state-of-the-art facility,” Keller said. “With such a large number of students, we needed the flexibility for scheduling and, of course, be cost-efficient. The center provided these requirements and they were very willing to work with us.”
Keller stressed the importance of swimming lessons.
“Living in Wisconsin, most of our children will be near or in water at some time in their life,” he said. “It could be a family outing, in backyard pools or swimming in ponds, rivers and lakes. If we can help ensure the safety of our students as well as those around them, it is definitely a positive thing.”
An estimated 125 students from kindergarten to high school participated in three sections of lessons over the summer.
“This was definitely a great experience for our students,” Keller said. “We have been providing this opportunity for our students for a number of years. The students are extremely enthusiastic and enjoy the lessons.”
Welch said it is crucial to continue to reach out and be a resource for all young people to learn to swim.
“Our swimming facilities are amazingly popular and we are in a unique position to offer multiple year-round swimming programs,” he said. “I want to continue to maximize our aquatic use year-round so that we can continue to be a source of pride for our community. This was the mission of those who created the ISCFAC and I will continue to do the best we can as we move forward.”
Keller’s hope is that Manawa will be able to continue to provide these offerings to their students.
“With budgetary concerns facing all districts, we will take a careful look at next year’s offerings,” he said. “We would look forward to working with the ISCFAC again.
“I would like to personally thank the school board and the administration for supporting our efforts in providing summer programming,” he added. “Providing these fun and enriching programs helps to promote the educational process.”