SPRINGFIELD, Mass — Students ages 10 to 13 at Rebecca Johnson Elementary in Springfield are part of a revolutionary aquatic program and an unlikely one at that. For the past two years, 13 students at Johnson Elementary have been part of a program called “Inner-City Scuba,” which was the idea of Principal Chris Sutton, who has dived across the globe and is a certified instructor.
“This came about (when) I was on a shark dive with Enfield Scuba in the Bahamas," Sutton said. "And in between diving with sharks, there was a conversation around what I did for a living -- and so the idea was begun; wouldn’t it be incredible to get inner-city kids to learn how to scuba dive.”
Around two years ago, Sutton teamed up with the nearby Enfield Scuba Shop, where he is an instructor, and the shop staff volunteered their time and talents with the kids.
First, the kids had to learn how to swim, which is too common among at-risk inner-city kids; few of the students had ever been in a pool.
“Some of these kids were 10, and they had never jumped into a pool before,” said Sutton.
With help from the instructors from the Springfield YMCA, the last two years have made skilled swimmers out of all the students. It’s now time to work toward their certification in scuba.
Laura Seese is a dive instructor from Enfield Scuba who has been alongside the kids every step of the way. She said, “This works on teamwork, on communication, and it’s a lot of self-esteem.”
“It’s exciting and surprising because I never imagined doing this before,” said fifth-grader Kamden Cook after emerging with a tank on the pool floor.
There are grand plans for all of the scuba students; the hope is to go on an expedition to dive in the Bahamas sometime in the Summer.
“It’s a very rare opportunity,” said 13-year-old Jeyce Capdeville, “I want to learn from this experience and maybe major in marine biology in college.”
As the Inner-City-Scuba team gets closer to its goal, Sutton added, “This is an amazing concept and an amazing opportunity. I think it’s life-changing and I think it’s lifesaving both in the same breath.”
To learn more about Inner-City Scuba Diving click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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