Teaching Archery is a great way to develop the whole child academically and emotionally.

So back in 2015, I met this amazing group of PE teachers who said they would do whatever it takes to get the school where it needs to be and by golly, they did that! How, I listened to them, listened to the history of the school, how some principals wanted them to exercise the kids all day without many resources and some wanted them to do academic writing all day. After having met with my leadership team and creating a balanced budget with their input for our goals of the school, we invested in a lot of tech and archery for our scholars. Archery, you say? Yes, archery.

In order to be archery certified you need to take a class, pass a very rigorous test and have the equipment. My dean of students, my three PE teachers and myself went on a Saturday to be trained. Archery has so many commands, skills and drills that it really gets students to focus on each step for safety, success and practice.

Yes, we did mention we felt a little like the Hunger Games at first, but when we gave all the teachers a basic training on archery, they were all excited for the sport. Many of them had never shot a bow and arrow and for us being a title 1 school with a high poverty rate this would be something great to teach the kids and so we did in 4th grade. Archery is an exciting sport that the school can help the kids get access to, that they normally wouldn't it. Archery requires memorization of rules, teamwork, practice, practice, practice, reading and eye coordination, which helps all children, math and so much more. Our gym has a large screen we named the Megatron, a state-of-the-art sound system, and touch screen tables for the students who can't always participate in traditional sports have a way to be part of the team.

We found that once we offered more choices like archery, our attendance started going up, parents felt good that their children attended a unique school that offered so much for them.

Moral of the story is listen to your teachers, they only want what is best for the school and what's best for the kids. I will always be thankful for Brandon, Michael and Sharon, the PE team, who helped our school get on track academically and socially. I hope this short article made your day LinkedIn. Your friend Xavier