Over the years, American schools have seen booms of many sports rising to popularity with young athletes. Volleyball, especially in the south, has grown by leaps and bounds. Pickleball is taking the world by storm among the young and the old, and flag football has recently been added to the sports programs across the country in over a thousand schools.

Also seeing growing numbers in schools – including the Fort Thomas Independent School (FTIS) system – is archery, a sport which the National Archery in Schools Program notes has been added to upwards of 10,000 U.S. schools in the last several years.

It’s popularity among FTIS schools has become so pervasive, in fact, that the Fort Thomas Education Foundation was recently thrilled to help offer grant money to  the Outdoor Adventure Program to purchase Faux Bows for its students to learn the ins and outs of archery at Highlands schools. Faux Bows are nerf-style bows and arrows which help students learn the safe and correct ways of handling and using the equipment before moving on to the “real thing.”

“The Education Foundation continues to contribute to high quality education and fun learning opportunities that are beneficial for the students,” says Juli Neace, physical education teacher at Highlands Middle School. “We received twelve bows, six targets and a hundred arrows.”

This equipment is the first piece to what will hopefully become many for the Outdoor Adventures Program, to which Neace hopes to add equipment for angling, camp cooking, survival and orienteering.

“After the first lesson with the faux bows it was obvious we made a great choice,” says Neace. “The students were engaged in the activity and had instant smiles on their faces when they were successful and making trick shots. Using these training bows before our archery unit in the fitness center, the students were able to get familiar with the bows and arrows and learn the safety aspects of archery prior to shooting real ones.” 

Introducing students to new outdoor skills benefits not only the students but shapes their worldviews beyond of the walls of the classroom in terms of outdoor learning and possibilities. “Fort Thomas educators are blessed to have a unique opportunity to receive funds through the FTEF teacher grants for enhancing student learning inside and outside of the classroom,” says Neace. “Having an extra resource for funds can be game changing for our students and families.  We look forward to growing this Outdoor Adventures Program throughout the years to come and providing a chance for students to connect with the outdoors, build relationships, and develop new lifelong skills.”