Stew Leonard III Children's Charities

APRIL POOLS DAY IS FUN LESSON IN WATER SAFETY
By Brent Whiting
The Arizona Republic

(April 9, 2004 Friday Final chaser Edition)

It was a fun day to get plastic fire helmets, watch clown shows, eat pizza and get an up-close look at helicopters and firetrucks.But there was a more important intent Thursday as nearly 1,600 West Valley schoolchildren gathered at the Surprise Recreation Campus for a six-hour activity.The April Pools Day event marked a chance for firefighters and other professionals to teach water-safety basics to a group of enthusiastic kids.

All West Valley cities except Buckeye got through 2003 without any child drownings, a record that firefighters hope to improve upon this year with zero water deaths. "We make it brief and to the point," said Mark Burdick, the Glendale fire chief. "We keep stressing that adult supervision is the key. (They must) watch the kids." The safety message got through to Aniesa Sordia, 8, a first-grader at West Point Elementary School in Surprise. "If there's no one around watching you, you can't go near the water," Aniesa said. Baileigh McTheny, 6, another West Point first-grader, also got the message. She said she learned "to have an adult with you at the pool." Kristina Sloan, 7, a first-grader at Desert Mirage Elementary School in Glendale, absorbed another safety tip. She said she was taught "not to run around the pool." Susan McDoniel, a West Point first-grade teacher, said the outing was awesome. "Summer is coming and these kids are going to be out there and near the water," she said. "And they are going to need some pointers on what to do and what not to do."

Students got poolside instruction at the Surprise Aquatic Center, as well as a host of other learning opportunities.For example, Tiffaney Isaacson, a water-safety coordinator at Phoenix Children's Hospital, taught them basics from Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim, a children's book on water safety. Stewie, like other ducks, wanted to swim, but had to learn safety rules before going near the water. He got swimming lessons and promised his parents that he would never go near the water without them. Susanna Alderete, a kindergarten teacher at Glenview Adventist School in west Phoenix, said the children walked away with good safety instruction. "They were so excited to come along," Alderete said. "They learned things they can discuss with their parents."