Anissa Tekelenburg, in the kayak, and Tabitha Mill recently talk to Connoquenessing Valley Elementary students about boating safety at Cranberry Township Waterpark.

CRANBERRY TWP — Having fun and staying safe were the themes of the day as elementary students learned about water safety during Seneca Valley's annual Water Safety Day program.

The program wrapped up Friday as students in first through fourth grade at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary visited the Cranberry Township Waterpark.

“We want to encourage them to swim and to be safe while they swim,” said Eric Grove, physical education teacher at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary.

The program began on Tuesday with students from Evans City visiting EDCO Pool. Rowan and Haine Elementary schools visited the Cranberry Waterpark on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Mike Manipole, a Seneca Valley physical education and health teacher, started the program six years ago to reduce pool accidents and remind children about water safety before they leave school for summer vacation.

About one in five people who die from drowning are children ages 14 and younger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2005 to 2014 there was an average of 3,536 fatal, unintentional drownings in the U.S, the CDC reported. On top of that, 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents“Everyone is going to be going to a pool somewhere this summer,” Grove said.The students rotated through six stations where they had 15-minute lessons on topics like open water safety, boat safety, weather, swim lessons and community resources, Grove said. At the final station, students got to watch the pool lifeguards perform a mock rescue in the pool.The instructors for the stations were local swim coaches, physical education teachers and other teachers who are passionate about swimming and water instruction. Instead of lecturing, the lessons were interactive with the instructors asking questions and having the students come up with answers, as well as activities for the students to do.This helps them take ownership of the material, Grove said, and by the fourth grade they know the information well.At the swim lesson station, Mitchell Schall talked about how swim lessons are not only helpful, but can also be fun. Schall is a swim coach at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA, Mars High School and Zelienople Swim Club.He also taught the students the four swimming strokes, which they practiced poolside and then watched a lifeguard demonstrate them in the pool.“It's fun,” Schall said. “It's about getting them informed and teaching them what's out there.”