Varsity Swimmers Volunteer to Teach in Co-op Program

A handful of Ocean City High School and Ocean City C-Cerpant competitive swimmers volunteered Wednesday to teach some of their young peers how to swim.

The session was the first of four that are part of a cooperative program between the Ocean City Primary School, the Ocean City Aquatics and Fitness Center and the student volunteers.

Even though Ocean City is surrounded by water, it's not always a given that all students know how to swim, Aquatics Director Karen Pratz said. She said the program, which has run for more than a decade, is fun for the kids—but also serves an important role in teaching them how to be safe around the water. May is national Water Safety Month.

The student volunteers included Casey Merrill, Melanie Wilezol, Colby McGuigan, Nick Sedberry, Laura Taylor, Lee Styer and OCHS alum Colleen Kelly.

For students like Tyrique Crawford and Isaac Wilson, who progressed from short push off the wall at the shallow end to jumping off the starting blocks at the deep end, the afternoon gave them a chance to gain some confidence in the water and show some potential for learning more in the next three sessions.