As high school students, we can easily access a variety of sports with the extensive number of programs available to us. Students at Northwood have found a way to inspire children and involve themselves in the careers of aspiring young athletes. Northwood’s Stop Drowning Now (SDN) club recently attended their first event, teaching specific water safety strategies to younger swimmers. 

 “We do our best to teach lifesaving skills like CPR,” SDN President senior Andrew Harper said. “Us knowing these skills means a lot, but us teaching the community how to better protect children around the pool means so much more.” 

Beyond clubs, Northwood students have also explored teaching individually. Senior Ryan Chaudhri teaches tennis to younger kids after school multiple days a week. After playing the sport for 10 years and being on the Northwood Varsity Tennis team for three, Chaudhri undeniably knows his way around the court. 

“Teaching kids has made me appreciate the sport more,” Chaudhri said. “It’s nice to take a break from playing solely for competition once in a while.”

Junior Chris Leung felt similarly regarding the intensity of competitive sports compared to teaching children. As a member of Northwood’s Varsity Swim Team, his own skill as an athlete assisted his teaching over the summer.

“The best thing about teaching kids to swim is being able to interact with young kids who love to just be in the water and helping them have fun,” Leung said. “After teaching little kids, I realized how hard this sport is when starting out, but the kids reminded me how fun it is just to float and have fun in the water.”