Serna students learn to swim from gold medalists

DATE: Aug 25
TIME: 10 am - 1 pm
LOCATION: Serna ES 2569 NE Loop 410; josh Davis Natatorium 12002 Jones-Maltsberger

Serna Elementary School will welcome Olympic Gold Medalists Cullen Jones and Rowdy Gaines, the USA Swimming Foundation and San Antonio Sports as they raise awareness about the importance of learning to swim, through the Make a Splash Tour. This is part of a national tour that aims to raise awareness of the importance of water safety and is sponsored by ConocoPhillips.

Jones will also teach a group of Serna students to swim during a semi-private swim lesson at North East ISD's Josh Davis Natatorium.

Jones, a survivor of a near-drowning incident at age five and the first African-American male to hold a world record in swimming, has joined forces with the USA Swimming Foundation and ConocoPhillips to support the Make a Splash Tour, aimed at reducing the number of U.S. drownings, particularly among minority youth.

Each year, more than 3,400 people drown in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. In fact, 60-70% of African-American and Hispanic children cannot swim, according to a national research study by USA Swimming and the University of Memphis. African-American children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their Caucasian peers, the CDC reports.

For more information, contact Serna at 650-1500.

Posted on August 22, 2011