Pooling Resources: Swimming Partnership Makes a Community Safer

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Henrico County Public Schools expresses a division wide commitment to every student by communicating a vision of inclusiveness, and embraces four critical cornerstones: student safety and wellness, academic growth, equity and opportunity, and relationships. The sports medicine program at the Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center at Hermitage High school in Henrico County provides 11th- and 12th-grade students with a strong foundation in sports medicine, athletic training and other medical fields. Community involvement is imperative for creating a positive learning environment to support our mission. In summer 2019, the sports medicine program acted to support Henrico Schools’ cornerstone of student safety and wellness in creating a partnership with SwimRVA, a Richmond-area nonprofit. SwimRVA is dedicated to making swimming, water safety and aquatic fitness more accessible. The collaboration aims to teach students to swim and possibly earn lifeguarding credentials. As a result, students who couldn’t swim have become more comfortable in the water and developed swimming skills. Students have also become certified as lifeguards, giving them more opportunities and increasing overall water safety in the region.This affiliation has benefited Henrico County citizens, SwimRVA, and Henrico County Public Schools’ sports medicine program.