Education to save a life: Swim classes held for Pioneer preschool students

Preschool students from Pioneer Elementary School are continuing for a third year to receive free swimming lessons through a swim boot camp coordinated by Tracey Terasas and funded by Cook Children’s Medical Center and Graham ISD.

Terasas is co-founder of the Remembering Wyatt Dale Water Safety organization in Graham, which seeks to spread the message of water safety and provide life jackets for all children. She runs the boot camp as a way to spread awareness and educate local youth about water safety.

“I don't want the parents to feel like, 'Okay, they did four days of boot camp, and now they can swim.' That's not the point of it,” she said. “It's awareness, not to be afraid, to know the rules.”

On July 7, 2013, the Terasas family lost Wyatt Dale Terasas to drowning at a public lake swim area in Possum Kingdom. Since then, the family has worked to put life jackets on all children and spread water safety locally and around the state.

“(During the boot camp) we can catch them young and teach them skills on how to number one, not be afraid of the water. Number two, teach them skills on how they can save themselves,” Terasas said. “We're really trying to teach every one of them how to be able to roll over and to be able to float. I get a chance to see them and their eyes and tell them Wyatt's story, tell them why we're doing it again and to encourage them to not go to the water alone.”

Terasas, along with help from Pioneer teachers and others, will work with students this week and next week to teach water safety and swimming basics at the Graham Regional Medical Center Wellness Center.

“They are 30 minute classes back to back. We have five to six kids in each class. ...They learn don't be afraid of the water… (and) they'll end up going and learning their starfish which means they know we're fixing to float on our backs,” she said. “...Today is our second day and most of them have their heads under the water, which is important. We will do (that) again next week.”

Terasas said one of the most rewarding things about the boot camp is seeing the changes from students who are initially scared of water when the camp starts.

“Whenever they finally realize that I keep my promises, I'm not going to let go of them, that I'm going to help them, then they'll settle down and at least try and that's what we need. We just want them to try,” she said. “...When a child is afraid of the water that's almost more dangerous at some point because if they're afraid of the water and they fall in they're gonna panic. That's why especially with those (scared students) we want to be sure that if they did fall in to get a hold of yourself, float, but if you're right next to the side of the pool just grab the pool and pull out.”

It’s through these efforts and through events such as the Family Fun and Fishing event which occurs today (Saturday, April 27) at Firemen’s Park that Terasas is hoping to ingrain water safety for children at a young age.

“We went to Pioneer Elementary School last week and did a presentation, had them in the water this week (and will) do Wyatt's event this weekend,” she said. “So we've gotten three times with this age group alone to speak about water safety. Teaching them young and teaching for a lifetime.”