Whittier Elementary students celebrate newfound skills, confidence at after-school swim program’s graduation

Chloe Sathienvantanee lights up whenever her family takes her to the beach, and can’t help but dash toward the water. Sometimes that worries her mother, Christina Sathienvantanee.

“We’ve been to Huntington Beach, and the waves were gigantic,” the third-grader’s mom said. “...She’s a little fearless, so when she sees the water she just runs toward it, not thinking about how big the waves are.”

So they were grateful to be among more than 40 Whittier Elementary families to enroll their kids in a pilot for an after-school swimming and water safety class taught at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA. It began in January, and now Chloe is strong enough in the water to swim as far as 50 meters by herself. She says she aspires to become a junior lifeguard.

Whittier Elementary students participating in a pilot for an after-school swim and water safety program reach for rings at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

She and her classmates celebrated their accomplishments during a graduation ceremony at the YMCA Wednesday. Before they began their lessons, many of them hadn’t even set foot in a pool or the ocean, despite living a short drive from the beach, Newport-Mesa Unified Trustee Ashley Anderson told the Daily Pilot at the event.

Anderson, a former swim instructor and lifeguard, said she proposed creating such a program after speaking with families and learning how not being able to swim can affect student’s confidence and social development, especially in a coastal community.

“Over time you see that fear begin to melt away and it’s because they’re learning things,” said Dorain Cassel, a director of operations for the YMCA of Orange County.

Anderson and Christy Flores, the district’s director of engagement, partnership and expanded learning, hailed the program as a success Wednesday. It is expanding to include children at College Park Elementary School, with after-school classes at the Costa Mesa Public Pool set to begin in April, Flores said.

A Whittier Elementary student shows classmates a certificate for an after-school swim and water safety program during a graduation ceremony at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

(Eric Licas)

A Whittier Elementary student participates in an after-school swim and water safety program at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

(Eric Licas)

Swim instructor Jack Rooney helps a Whittier Elementary student put on her goggles during an after-school swim and water safety program Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

(Eric Licas )

A Whittier Elementary student paddles with a kick board during an after-school swim and water safety program at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

(Eric Licas)

Instructor Elaine Skierka helps a Whittier Elementary with their back stroke during an after-school swim and water safety program at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA on Wednesday.

(Eric Licas)