The month of May is usually not the time of year people think about going back to school. Mention it to a teenager who's been looking forward to summer break for months and he might just lose it all together.

The crew of Coast Guard Station Portsmouth, on the other hand, is doing just that – heading back to school to spread a water safety message to elementary school-aged kids around Hampton Roads and along the James River. People from the station head out to schools and teach youngsters about life jackets, swimming pool and beach safety, hypothermia, drowning, the buddy system and other topics.

The station's crew started the program last year and has taught thousands of children since. Participation at the station is nearing 100 percent.

While Coast Guardsmen go out with a plan, the children regularly try to guide the discussion to the outer limits of the subject matter. A recent trip to Northern Shores Elementary School in Suffolk was no different.

Seamen Marcus Capehart and David Williar taught the kids. Capehart has been involved in the program from its inception. It was Williar's first time teaching the material (he's prepared, though – he used to teach similar classes as a lifeguard).

They set up their gear, consisting of an oversized tablet full of information and colorful drawings plus several types of lifejackets, in the school's cafeteria. They looked a little out of place in a room where the tables are a little smaller and the chairs lower to the ground than normal. The school nurse, who did most of the scheduling, said the kids were excited. Teachers brought in the first of two groups of kids, about 100 third graders.

They filled in a clearing between folded-up lunch tables on the white tile floor in neat, evenly spaced rows. They sat with legs crossed and tilted their heads back almost as far as they could to look up at the two Coast Guardsmen there to teach them.

"We come here this time of year because it's when everyone is getting ready to go to the pool or the beach," said Capehart. Judging by the amount of questions the pair got, these kids are as ready as they're going to be – it's Capehart and Williar's job to instill the importance of being safe.

Capehart spoke to the kids first. After about five minutes he asked if there were any questions – and there were.

"Can you swim underwater?"

"Is it legal to stand on your hands underwater?"

"If you're swimming and you see a jellyfish, should you tell your buddy?"

"Did you color those pictures?"

Judging by the amount of questions about it, one topic was of particular importance to the children – stingrays. They had lots of stingray questions and comments for Capehart and Williar, and helpful hints and stories for each other about them. Jellyfish ran a close second. Funny questions aside, they asked many water safety questions, and brought up a lot of good points for each other.

"The kids always ask a lot of good questions, pay attention and are really interested," said Machinery Technician 2nd Class David Till, who joined Capehart and Williar for sessions at Carrollton Elementary School in Carrollton, Va.

The instructors had an answer for everything – or at least a sneaky way of getting back to the subject – and kept a straight face no matter how far-out the questions became. The kids, flanked by their teachers, seemed to constantly want more and more information – there were always hands up, some so often the kids had to perform the old keep-your-arm-up-by-bracing-it-w ith-the-other trick.

The Coast Guardsmen answered all their questions, then repeated the process with another 100 kids, fourth graders fresh from recess this time. Aside from questions and answers, the children also had hands-on practice donning lifejackets, which is near and dear to Till's heart.

"I like showing the kids what to wear and how to wear it," he said. "We see kids when we're out (on patrols) wearing their lifejackets and they'll say 'I saw you at my school last week – look, I'm wearing my lifejacket."

The flip-side of that, which helps validate the need to train local kids, is when they see the opposite.

"I stopped a guy last month on the Elizabeth River. He had his three kids on his boat, ranging in age from 3 to 8 years old, and none of them were wearing lifejackets," Till said. "He only had two lifejackets onboard, both for adults. We terminated his voyage."

"There's water galore around here. You gotta learn to respect it," Till said.

The 700 students Till, Capehart, Williar and Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Matt Harper visited in Carrollton had an added bonus – the crew brought along their 21-foot rigid-hulled inflatable boat for the kids to look at. As the Coast Guardsmen predicted, the most asked question was "how fast will it go."

When all was said and done, they may not have transformed children into safety experts; but, through a simple lesson plan and a kid-friendly attitude, put some ideas in their minds that just might save lives in the summer months to come.

Story and Photos by PA1 Brandon Brewer
Atlantic Area Public Affairs, USCG
Article used with the permission of the USCG Atlantic Area Public Affairs Office