CCISD summer readers get water safety tips and fishing fun

By MALACHI MUNCY

Cove Leader-Press 

On Friday morning at City Park, students from Copperas Cove High School’s Future Health Professionals (HOSA) and Colt Gaulden, Texas Game Warden, teamed up with CCISD to provide summer safety and water safety training for Hettie Halstead Elementary and Fairview Jewell Elementary students. 

Gaulden instructed campers of the important items to have when boating: life-jacket, throwable floatation device, whistle and fuel rated fire extinguisher. He recommends that everyone in a boat where a life jacket even if it is only required by law for children 12 and under. 

“It’s important that the jacket fit properly,” said Gaulden “If the life jacket is too big, the jacket will float and a child can sink right out of it.”

HOSA members instructed campers to apply SPF 30 sunblock at least 20 minutes before going outside, take a break after 90 minutes to re-apply and drink 8 glasses of water per day. Campers also learned how to clean small cuts and apply adhesive bandages.

“A lot of kids go out in the sun and they think they are indestructible,” said Alexis Grasso, HOSA president. “They don’t realize by the time they are thirsty they are probably already dehydrated.”

In addition to providing basic health instruction to other students, CCHS HOSA conducts blood drives throughout the year, participates in Relay For Life and provides scholarship opportunities for members.

Campers also got to fish in City Park’s pond and hide rocks, hand painted with inspiring messages around the area. 

“My dad and I usually go to the Lampasas river to fish,” said Ryhanna Leyva, a 5th grader. “Reading camp is fun. I like to read ‘Junie B Jones’ books.

The field trip to the park was a part of a the districts Ranger Reading Camp. 

“The camp is designed to fight the slide in skills that some students experience during summer months,” said Heather Peacock, Military Transition Consultant of the Military Child Education Coalition. “We’ve focused enrollment on military dependent students. A quarter of the district’s students are military dependents and about a third of campers are.”

According to the district, around 143 students participated in the 12-day camp The camp was funded from a 5-year, $750,000 DoDEA II grant that the district received. Funds from the grant will be administered over the next 5 years with goals to increase the level of social support for military dependent students at grant campuses and improve their academic achievement.