Water Safety clinic held at Hollister schools

On Monday, May 19, Hollister Early Childhood Center and Hollister Elementary School hosted a Boat & Water Safety Event for the district’s kindergarten and first-grade students. Several members of the Rotary Club of Hollister, which helped sponsor the event, were on hand to assist with the presentations. 

“Teaching boat and water safety to kindergarten and first-grade students in Hollister is crucial due to the region’s proximity to lakes and rivers, such as Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo,” said district officials in a press release. “Early education in water safety equips children with the knowledge and skills to prevent accidents and respond appropriate in aquatic environments.” 

The Table Rock State Park Marina provided a pontoon boat and a ski boat for the demonstration, as well as life jackets of various sizes. John Hagey facilitated the educational session, assisted by a fellow Rotarian as Josh the Otter, coaching the students in several key areas of safety: 

●      The importance of never going to the water alone, instead staying near a trusted adult and always swimming with a buddy near adult supervision; 

●      A properly-fitted life jacket: student volunteers demonstrated proper and improper fit, with discussion about what could happen when jumping into the water wearing a jacket that is too large and could slide right off, or one that will not fasten because it is too small; 

●      Propeller safety—staying away from the rear of the boat and never jumping into the water while the boat motor is running. 

Students also learned about differences between the larger pontoon boat and the ski boat and situations when each type of boat might be used, circling each boat as a group for a better look at the propellers and features of each. 

Students also enjoyed a “dance-off” with Josh the Otter, before returning to their classrooms where Rotary Club volunteers read aloud the book, “Josh the Otter.” Written by the parents of Joshua Collingsworth, a young boy who died after drowning in a family pool, the book teaches the importance of learning to float and swim at an early age, never swimming alone, and other safety rules. Each student was given a copy of the book to take home, so they can share it with their parents and other family members. 

Thank you to Hollister Schools for hosting this important educational presentation! Parents and caregivers are encouraged to read the book with their children and follow up with additional discussion of the safety concepts in preparation for holiday weekend festivities and other summer outings. For information about coordinating a similar presentation at your child’s school, homeschool group, church children’s program, etc., check out https://joshtheotter.org.