“I taught at Banks School, a rural middle school in Pike County, Alabama, and noticed that our students were very limited on opportunities to participate in sports or clubs. I spoke with an archery coach in a nearby school system, and they encouraged me to integrate the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) curriculum into our school. He stated that the program was not difficult and the kids would love it. He also noted that the support you get from NASP and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources would help make the implementation of this program very smooth. It was then that I decided to undergo training and begin the process. During the first year of the program, 108 out of a total of 190 students participated on the archery team. That’s over half of our school! We had a very diverse group, and offering this program really helped some of the kids that hadn’t found their place yet. Some of these kids had never planned to play “traditional” sports, but they found what they really loved in archery. After we started archery at Banks School, other schools in the district wanted to start archery as well. Now, across the district, there are close to 400 kids that participate in NASP, and Banks School is currently the host of the Regional Tournament. Overall, archery has changed the lives of many kids in the district. I have even heard stories of families participating in archery together.”
Jonathan Thompson
NASP Teacher, Banks Middle School, Alabama