Daily Reporter staff reports
INDIANA — Indiana’s National Archery in the Schools Program continues to expand, surpassing the mark of more than 500 participating schools in its 15 years of existence.
At last count, 529 schools served more than 70,000 students in Grades 4 through 12 who participated in the program during the 2018-2019 school year. In addition, more than 2,300 of those students were recognized by the Academic Archer program, honoring program participants for their academic achievements as well as their archery skills.
Indiana’s program allows participants to experience a new sport while gaining self-confidence, learning sportsmanship and improving social skills. A fundamental goal is to be inclusive and available to all students.
School archery programs have been proven to increase educational performance and attendance according to Indiana program coordinator Tim Beck.
“The steady growth of this program has impacted schools all across Indiana,” Beck said. “Schools are realizing the benefits of the program by the sheer numbers of students who have expressed their interest in learning to shoot international-style target archery as a part of their in-school curriculum.
“This positive youth program is truly ‘Changing Lives … One Arrow at a Time,’ as the NASP slogan says.”
