Introduction
The National Archery in the Schools Program is an approved physical education program within Georgia and has been in schools throughout the state since 2003. Click here to see number of Georgia schools by county that participate. The program began in Kentucky in 2002 and there are now 46 states throughout the country that participate in the program in addition to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. To date, more than 6 million students have gone through the program.
To date, after six years, the programs safety record has been perfect. There has not been a single accident in any of the schools while participating in the archery program. According to the National Safety Councils Injury Facts 2002 Edition, archery is more accident free than most common sports such as baseball/softball, basketball, football, golf, and tennis.
Educators report that the National Archery in the Schools Program engages the unengaged; as students who drop out of school have indicated that they were not involved in extracurricular activities. This program is unique in that it crosses gender and strength lines, putting middle school children on an even playing field within their physical education class. In doing this, many children are able to succeed in a sport for the first time.
"Northwest Georgia School Hits Bullseye with Archery Program" : Georgia Magazine (a Georgia EMC publication) highlights this exciting program in their July 2010 issue. Article author: Jeff Rancudo.
The National Archery in the Schools Program is a joint venture between state departments of Education and Wildlife. Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners. The program promotes student education and participation in the life long sport of archery. The program's focus is to provide Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD)-style target archery training in K-12 physical education classes. The core content of the program covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, and self-improvement. Before presenting the 2-week archery course, teachers undergo a certification process through the National Archery in the Schools Program.
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NATIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION: National Archery in the Schools Program
