Brooklyn principal launches swim program to expand access, improve water safety
After learning to swim in her 40s, a Brooklyn principal launched an effort across multiple schools to get students in the water.
She said it's not just an effort to prevent drownings.
Principal hopes to provide opportunity she didn't have herself
When Jamie Hendrickson learned to swim as an adult, she found herself taking lessons alongside children.
"I learned to swim in my early 40s, and I swam and learned with 8-year-olds. So looking at how they navigated the water within weeks, I said it makes sense for us to get our students in the water," said Hendrickson, principal of Meyer Levin School for the Performing Arts in East Flatbush.
The experience inspired Hendrickson to launch a partnership swim program using the high school's newly renovated pool with two colleagues: Sanatha Alexis, principal of Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences, and Linton Atkinson, principal of Richard R. Green Elementary School.
The goal is to provide students with access to swimming instruction, both during and after the school day, that Hendrickson said was unavailable to her growing up.
"I grew up in the projects. I grew up in East New York. We didn't have access to the pool. My parents did not take us to the beach," she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. The CDC also reports that for Black people younger than 30, drowning rates are 1.5 times higher than for White people of the same age.
But for Hendrickson, the program is about more than water safety.
"It made sense to capture them early in elementary school, get them over their fear of water," she told Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger. "They'll love to swim in middle school. And as we continue to build out the initiative, they'll learn to swim and become lifeguards."
"You just feel, like, free"
Since the start of the year, certified instructors have been teaching students swimming fundamentals and water safety skills.
"It's really risky to go in a pool or a beach without learning how to swim," said 13-year-old Wynter Williams.
"People who do know how to swim might help the people who don't know how to swim," 12-year old Crissan Broadbelt said.
Students realize this is an opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
"I'd never been to a school, or heard of a school, that takes you to a different school to swim," said 13-year-old Chelsea Toussaint.
As New York City students head into summer vacation this week, participants say they are eager to put their new skills to use during the season's hottest days.
"You just feel, like, free," said 13-year-old Jasmine Clement.
"It's also like exercise, so that's good, too," Toussaint added.
The program's organizers hope the initiative will continue expanding next school year.
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