From a young age, children are taught safety measures like “stop, drop and roll” in case of a fire and to not speak to strangers. While there are thousands of other safety measures children are taught, there seems to be a glaring hole – water safety.
With May being national Water Safety Month, the Washington Township Interact Club recently welcomed all of the kindergarteners from the school district into the performing arts center at the high school to teach them about water safety with the help of the children’s book “Josh the Baby Otter.”
“Josh the Baby Otter” was written in honor of 2-and-a-half year old Joshua Collingsworth, who died in an accidental drowning in 2008. Blake and Kathy Collingsworth, Joshua’s parents, have since started the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation to teach water safety.
“I think it’s crucial,” Interact co-advisor April Renzetti said of teaching water safety. “I think anybody, whether it’s a pool, lake or ocean, you have to sit back and realize ‘Oh my God, I need to make sure they know what they’re doing.’ It can literally be life or death. It’s definitely a good message that we send.”
This is the third year for Interact hosting the kindergarteners for a fun show about water safety. Renzetti said, in years prior, the Rotary would go around to the elementary schools to read “Josh the Baby Otter” and hand out copies of the book. It wasn’t until four years ago at a leadership conference in Cape May that the water safety lesson changed hands. The Interact members saw a different school’s presentation of “Josh the Baby Otter” and showed them the most sincere form of flattery, imitation.
“I contacted the Rotary, spoke to my liaison between us and Rotary, and he said ‘Absolutely,'” Renzetti described.
From there, the Rotary outfitted the Interact Club with the book and a DVD of the story being read, and they were off to the races.
Kindergarteners throughout the district were bused to the performing arts center at the high school where they were greeted by beach balls, beach-like summertime music and bubbles. Once the kids are settled down, the story is read aloud with a projection of the story shown on the large screens in the performing arts center. After the story, a few questions are asked of the kindergarteners, followed by a selfie with an Interact student in a Josh the Baby Otter costume. Renzetti estimates the program takes 50 minutes.
The Interact Club is a community service club whose purpose is to better the community and offer any kind of help it can. From buying food, supplies, holiday items or clothing items to spreading information and fundraising, it does what it can do to help the community.
“This, we felt, was a message that needed to be sent,” Renzetti said. “It only takes a quick second for a child to run in water. Parents think it’s only for a second, then there’s a tragedy. Because we’re a community service club, this is applicable.”
While the water safety presentation doesn’t quite have the gravitas as Monzo Madness, the Interact Club’s all-night dance-a-thon, it’s still a crowd favorite with the executive board. Renzetti said they are given the freedom to put their own twist on it. This year, they choreographed a dance to go along with the “Josh the Baby Otter” song.
“The executive board enjoys it, they love seeing the kindergarteners coming in, high-fiving them,” Renzetti said. “The little kids get super excited to see the high school kids. This is a fun event, they enjoy being around the kids. I thought my executive board did a good job. I’m proud of them, they worked hard.”
