Sailorway Students are Taking Aim at a New Experience

The sixth and seventh graders at Sailorway Middle School can add archery to their list of experiences thanks to grants awarded to the Sailorway Middle School physical education program. 

The equipment was purchased with the money from two grants Sailorway received specifically to introduce this program. One grant was from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in the amount of $2500 and the other was from the Vermilion Education Foundation in the amount of $800.

The idea to introduce this program was developed a couple years ago by Sailorway principal Brian Zeller, who shared he was looking for non-traditional sports to include in the PE curriculum. He found others schools including archery, skateboarding, and BMX as non-traditional options. He went on to say it was a father of a Sailorway teacher that told him about the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), and it was after that, Zeller discovered that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers grants to schools interested in adding the NASP program. The combination of the two grants was enough to purchase all the needed equipment, and Mr. Kurt Habermehl, the Sailorway PE teacher, became a certified instructor.

Mr. Habermehl shared that he was a little apprehensive at first about teaching archery because he had never done it before in the school, but he’s excited about it and feels it is going really well so far. Mr. Dave Snell, a former PE teacher at Sailorway, joined Mr. Habermehl on the first day of instruction to help. Mr. Snell had previous experience in teaching archery, which was highly appreciated.

The original intent was to offer the program to all students in grades fourth through seventh. However, after going through the certification and getting all the equipment, Mr. Habermehl made the decision to start with the sixth and seventh graders. The bows are a little difficult to pull back at first, and he was concerned there would be too many of the younger students unable to manage it.  The students participating in the archery classes are overall very excited about the new program and having a lot of fun. Amara Pickett, a seventh grader at Sailorway, said it was really cool and she had never shot a real bow and arrow before.

Marianna Plas, a seventh grader at Sailorway, shared that she has shot a bow and arrow before but being able to do it in gym class was a lot of fun and something different. Plas shared that she used to do archery and has even gone hunting with a crossbow before, but she stopped after becoming more focused on sports. Having experience with archery, Plas shared that she thought Mr. Habermehl was doing a really good job teaching the class.

As the students lined up for their turn, it was clear they were all taking the instructions provided by Mr. Habermehl seriously and that safety was of utmost importance. When a student shot poorly, Mr. Habermehl stepped up to provide instruction on adjustments they can make to improve. Taking another turn, improvements were seen right away. Transitions went smoothly, and the students were all very encouraging of each other.

Zeller stated, “As for the implementation of the program, I am overjoyed at how this has worked out.  While we are still working out some kinks, I am completely sold on the effectiveness of the program.  We have watched over the course of one period how a student has built confidence.  One student was disappointed that she couldn’t hit the target.  With a couple of changes to her stance, she hit the target and yelled out an emphatic, “YES!”  We had another student place her first three arrows in the center ring.  This was an activity that she could excel in and it was powerful to see how the other students responded to her doing so well.  My hope is that we can possibly begin the process of turning this into a club where our students can begin competing in NASP tournaments.”