From Lessons to Leadership: Building Leaders in the Water

Student Success

What began as a short series of swim lessons focused on basic water competency and survival strokes has grown into one of the most meaningful and consistent parts of our programming at the Schreiber Foundation.

For the past two years, our partnership with NSEA Swim at the Earl Jackson Pool has given our students far more than weekly swim instruction. Every Thursday, our boys head to the North Side pool where they continue building confidence, refining technique, and embracing challenges with enthusiasm. Under the leadership of our board chair, Avery Washington, and swim instructor Ms. Tami, they are learning what it means to trust themselves, stay committed, and keep improving.

At Schreiber, we often say that our boys do hard things, a mantra first spoken by the students themselves two years ago. Since then, they have continued to live those words in the water each week.

Because of their dedication and progress, the team at NSEA Swim has now created a pathway for our boys to begin training as water safety instructors and lifeguards, with the opportunity to work at the pool this summer as paid interns. What an extraordinary next step.

Today, our students are not only more confident and prepared around the open waters of Lake Ontario, they are also stepping into leadership roles as instructors, mentors, and advocates for water safety in their own community.

This experience has enriched our students in countless ways. It has strengthened friendships, deepened resilience, and shown them that commitment, discipline, and the courage to do hard things build lasting character and confidence.

We are deeply grateful to our partners at NSEA Swim. Because of this partnership, our boys are gaining more than exercise or swim skills, they are developing a lifelong relationship with the water, learning to lead, and preparing themselves to help others, and perhaps even save a life.