Water Safety Day – actually a three-day, school district-wide effort to teach kids the fundamentals of aquatic safety – is now underway at the newly updated Cranberry Community Waterpark in the Township’s North Boundary Park. The pool, which doesn’t officially open until June 4, is one of three venues for the program which touches all 4,500 elementary school pupils in the Seneca Valley School District. The program concludes at Cranberry Waterpark June 2.
In 2015 there were more than 3,000 accidental drownings in the United States. Now in its fourth year, Water Safety Day, which was created by Cranberry Township Supervisor and Seneca Valley teacher Mike Manipole to reduce pool accidents, takes place at community pools in Evans City, Zelienople, and Cranberry. A rotation of 15-minute lessons at stations around the pool include rules involving pool safety, boating safety, and open water safety as well as watching and listening to lifeguards. Participants are strongly encouraged to take swim lessons which are available from a number of different organizations in the area.
Last year, the District’s Water Safety Day received top recognition from a statewide conference of recreation professionals.