Harpswell Community School’s fifth grade class gives a cheer before beginning their final swim class with the Harpswell Water Safety Program in Brunswick on May 8. Bisi Cameron Yee / Harpswell Anchor On May 8, during the final swimming class of their elementary school years, Harpswell Community School’s fifth graders did something that would normally defy logic. They jumped into the deep end of the pool with their clothes on.
In doing so, they took part in a rite of passage that goes back decades, a treasured Harpswell tradition that could one day save their lives. The Harpswell Water Safety Program has been an integral part of the community for more than 50 years. According to Mary Beth Rowe, the program’s current director, with so many livelihoods dependent on fishing, the townspeople want to make sure kids know how to swim.
The origin point of the program was Lowell’s Cove on Orr’s Island, where a group of parents volunteered their time to ensure local children could handle themselves in the water. The program is still staffed by volunteers, although the instructors are now certified by the Red Cross, and classes now take place at the LeRoy Gleason Pool on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Some instructors have been involved for more than 20 years.
“It’s definitely a long-standing commitment in the community for these people,” Rowe said. Families pay a $20 fee to participate in the seven-week program, but the bulk of the program’s cost comes fro.