Some students in Ana Belen Abadias’ and Kimberly Ramacho’s second-grade classes at North Elementary School never experienced being in a swimming pool or Lake Michigan, but they got their chance as part of a field trip to the pool at the Fieldhouse Sports Fitness & Aquatics Center.
Others, like second graders Ximena Canaveral and Nicklaus Burton already knew how to swim, and the field trip was fun for them as well. Nicklaus said he got a little education on his outing to the pool.
“It was fun learning how to lay and paddle,” Nicklaus said.
“I liked playing with the other kids,” Ximena said. “I can swim fast.”
Ximena and Nicklaus were among a group of students participating in a field trip to the Waukegan Park District’s Fieldhouse Sports Fitness & Aquatics Center pool on Thursday for a free swim lesson that every second grader in the city’s public schools receives.
Participants spent some time in a classroom learning about water safety, as well as time in the pool where lifeguards pulled them as they were attached to a flotation device. They kicked to propel themselves.
A North Elementary School second grader is pulled by a lifeguard as he kicks during a free swimming lesson during a joint program of the Waukegan Park District and Waukegan Community School District 60 on Thursday in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
After each child got their turn being mobile in the water, they had the opportunity to jump into the pool and the waiting arms of a lifeguard. When the lesson was over, they all got time to play in the adjacent wading pool, where the longest line was the one going up to the water slide.
Tony Strack, the Park District’s aquatics supervisor, said the program started in the 2018-2019 school year and has continued each term except for the two years the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it.
Strack said each second grader in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60’s elementary schools gets a field trip to the fieldhouse during the school year for a free swim lesson and a class in how to safely be around water.
“They learn the basics of water safety,” Strack said. “They learn what to do in a larger body of water. They learn about life jackets and life preservers. For some of them, it’s their first time in the water. Some of them don’t have a bathing suit. We give them one they can keep.”
After learning to kick and paddle, students get to jump into the arms of a lifeguard during a joint program of the Waukegan Park District and Waukegan Community School District 60 on Thursday in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake
County News-Sun)
Abadias said she prepared her students for the trip by letting them know they were going swimming. It is her third year at North Elementary School, and her third trip to the pool with the youngsters.
“It’s very useful, especially for those who’ve never been in the water before,” Abadias said. “Once they’re here, they don’t have to fear the water anymore. When I told them we’re going swimming, they had a lot of questions. I answered their concerns.”
Brooklyn Mittner, a recreation specialist with the Park District assigned to aquatics, said it is important for the students to be comfortable in the water.
“They’re learning life safety skills at an early age,” Mittner said. “It’s important in a community like this where we have a big lake. We give them what they can learn in 30 to 40 minutes.”
Their lesson done, North Elementary School second graders hit the wading pool during a joint program of the Waukegan Park District and Waukegan Community School District 60 on Thursday in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
For parents who want their young children to learn to swim well, Mittner said the Park District offers its Learn to Swim Smart program free to youngsters between the ages of 6 and 8. The goal is to have them swimming on their own. It is a six-class program.
“They learn to float and tread water,” Mittner said. “We introduce freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. They learn rhythmic breathing. They come out learning life safety skills.”
During a joint program of the Waukegan Park District and Waukegan Community School District 60, offering free swim lessons, second-grade students get classroom instruction on Thursday in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/waukegan-park-district-swim-lessons/
