The National Archery in the Schools Program continues its focus on academic success though recognizing students for their improvement and achievements in the classroom. In the 2017 NASP® student survey, 40.15% of respondents said NASP® made them want to work harder in the classroom. NASP® cares about academic success!
As school archery activity is roaring back from the COVID-19 pandemic, participation in the Academic Archer program has made a strong return as well. NASP® coaches again utilized local criteria to nominate their deserving students. Registration for the Academic Archer program concluded for the 2021/2022 school year on April 1st with an all-time high of 32,286 students enrolled into the program. Educators from 42 US states, and 3 Canadian Provinces enrolled students in the NASP® Academic Archer Program this school year. Students who earn this honor through their hard work in the classroom are recognized at national events and through recognition programs at many schools.
From the onset of the Academic Archer program, NASP® and Easton Technical Products have partnered to provide (10) randomly selected Academic Archers with a new Genesis bow and custom Easton 1820 arrows.
Carri Garrett of Easton Archery said, “Easton is proud to sponsor a program that is so beneficial in acknowledging the hard work that the NASP® students put forth in their education while enjoying the great sport of Archery. Congratulations to all the 2022 Academic Archers!”
Kevin Dixon, Project Director of NASP® said, “The students are the stars of NASP®, so it’s a real motivating factor for all of us when they succeed. We’re all thankful for the opportunity to recognize these students for their academic success and hope this program encourages other students to set and reach individual academic goals.”
Tommy Floyd, President of NASP® said “NASP® Is all about student success – success in the classroom as well as success on the range. Through our emphasis on academics, we truly believe that NASP® continues to achieve one of its long-standing goals of helping to motivate students for success in the classroom. It is our intention to increasingly send the strongest of messages about how teaching archery as part of the in-school curriculum can be important to the mission of educators. We believe that this results in a greater likelihood that NASP®️® will be around to motivate countless generations of young students!”
Following the close of registration for Academic Archer, NASP® conducted a random computerized drawing from among all registered students and selected ten student names. Each of these young people wins a new Genesis Bow in the color of their choice and custom Easton Academic Archer Arrows! NASP® would like to thank an unnamed generous sponsor who purchased the bows, and of course, Easton Archery for donating the arrows.
2022 Academic Archer Equipment Winners
| First Name | Last Initial | School | City | State |
| Violet | N. | Pine Grove Area Middle School | Pine Grove | PA |
| Riley | R. | Maricopa School | Phoenix | AZ |
| Keylee | L. | Locust Grove Middle School | Locust Grove | OK |
| Lily | B. | St. Aloysius PWV | Pewee Valley | KY |
| Elizabeth | D. | Roseland Montessori School | Roseland | LA |
| Malachi | W. | Bunceton Schools | Bunceton | MO |
| Carver | L. | Ascent Academy | Farmington | UT |
| Cayden | F. | O.P. Norman Junior High | Kaufman | TX |
| Blake | M. | Hurricane Middle School | Hurricane | WV |
| Noah | J. | St. Johns Lutheran School | Mattoon | IL |
Academic Archer will open again on September 1, 2022, for the 2022/2023 school year. NASP® is predicting the numbers to someday top 50,000 students. Be sure to recognize the achievements of your students and help NASP® spread the message of how teaching archery as part of the in-school curriculum is important to the mission of educators and beneficial for students. Perhaps a qualifying student from your local school will be among the winners next year!
For more information on beginning the Academic Archer program in your school, please visit: https://www.naspschools.org/opportunities/academic-archer Or
Contact Kevin Dixon at: kevin@naspschools.org