Swim Lessons Offered Year-Round at Natatorium

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There’s always something going on at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium. If swimming and diving competitions aren’t in session, children are usually using the facility to learn more about water safety.

“We offer swim lessons to the community from ages 4 to 14,” said Blake Kahla, MISD coach and swim school coordinator. “Our mission is to teach kids how to swim, so they can be safe in an aquatic environment.” 

Summer classes last for two weeks, ranging from a novice level 1 to an expert level 8. The goal is for participants to move up one level by the end of each session. 

According to Kahla, 95 percent of the instructors are MISD high school students. 

Each high school student is assigned two to four children.

He said it’s beneficial for all involved because the younger children can see what an advanced swimmer looks like while the older students can learn how to interact with beginners and their parents. 

“I just like seeing them happy, and they enjoy coming here and swimming with me,” said Jacqueline Green, an incoming senior at Lake Ridge High School. “My goal is to teach them something new. They might not understand the skill, but at least be confident enough in themselves to actually learn.”

During the school year, all MISD third-graders go to the natatorium to learn about water safety. 

The coach said the district offers year-round classes to build confidence and teach lifelong lessons in water safety so that children learn to be comfortable in both small and large bodies of water. 

For more information about natatorium classes, visit the facility website.

Crossing Guard Gains Attention for Upbeat Moves

If you’ve ever passed by the intersection of Debbie Lane and Walnut Creek Road, it’s pretty hard to miss him. Reginald McGill can be seen waving at passersby, singing songs, and dancing—all while getting kids safely across the street.

“I am the first person the kids see in the morning, so I treat them with respect and greet them with joy so that they have a great day,” said McGill, who has been a Mansfield ISD crossing guard for a little more than one year.

When asked why McGill acts the way he does, he simply answered, “Why not?” He said he can’t just stand there for no apparent reason, so he has to be happy and make sure everyone around is happy too.

McGill makes sure to have a fun time, but he takes safety very seriously. Every child that crosses McGill’s path is accustomed to his four rules: listen to him, press the crosswalk button, say good morning every morning, and no electronic devices in the crosswalk or in hand. He also has a plea for motorists.

“I really wish drivers would slow down at the crosswalk and stop using their phones,” said McGill.

McGill reminds students about his four rules each morning.

It isn’t just a one-man show, though. The husband and father of three said being able to safely maneuver through one of the busiest intersections in the district is all done with the help of his nearby crossing guards.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” he explained. “Everything runs so smoothly out here because of our teamwork. We all love the kids, and we love what we do.”

Angelia Saleh, a fellow crossing guard at the intersection, summed up their relationship in one sentence.

“I’m the calm to his crazy,” she said. “We get the job done while having fun,” Saleh added.

For more information about the MISD crossing guard program, visit the MISD webpage.

Lesson to All MISD 3rd Graders: "Think. Don't Sink."

The second-most common accidental death for kids under the age of 10 is drowning. That's why Mansfield ISD makes sure every third grader in the district takes a water safety class.

Since 2006, the date the MISD Natatorium opened, water safety classes have been offered to teach children what to do when they are around water.

The safety class lasts for about three hours. The first section consists of an instructor teaching the children the main rules of staying safe around water:

1. Think. Don't sink.
2. Look before you leap
3. Reach or throw. Don't Go. 

The second half of the class is when students put what they learned to the test. They get inside of the water and, depending on their swimming skills, pretend to rescue a coach and learn other safety tips.

Jerry Smith, diving coach and lead instructor, said he helped start the program to get a very important message across to children.

"Never get in the water with a drowning person," said Smith. "If we taught them that, then we just saved somebody's life."

Jerry Smith teaching water safety tips.

The classes start in third grade because most of the students are tall enough to touch the bottom of the shallowest part of the pool, which is 3-and-a-half feet. That is also the grade instructors say the students can comprehend most of the information.

Smith hopes that after each class, the students tell their parents and friends what they've learned so that the lessons of water safety spreads. Find out more information about the MISD Natatorium.