While having fun is an important part of ESF Summer Camp, learning and being safe are taken very seriously. The Aquatics program at ESF Lawrenceville combines all three aspects to create a unique and well-rounded experience for campers.

The woman behind the magic is the Aquatics Director, Michelle, who is responsible for hiring the best instructors for ensuring that the pool meets regulations and that the campers are safe. But Michelle doesn’t do everything herself; her staff supports her in making the swim program the best it can be. Because of this, Michelle honors one or two of her staff each week by nominating them for Aquatics Instructor(s) of the Week.

The Aquatics Instructor(s) of the Week award recognizes members of the Aquatics staff who have demonstrated their skills in creating fun and efficient swim lessons, engaging with the campers, promoting safe pool habits and/or taking initiative to get things done and improve the program’s efficiency.

This week, two instructors were selected for this award. The first is Chris McNulty, a 10 year veteran at ESF. Michelle commended Chris for taking on extra responsibility this summer and filling the role as support staff. As part of the swim program at ESF Lawrenceville, Aquatics Instructors track the progress of each camper throughout the summer and from year to year. Chris took the initiative to make this process run more smoothly by creating a program that allows the instructors to add and store the information in “the cloud.” It also makes it so that all instructors have access to the information, which was not the case in the past.

The second Aquatics Instructor of the Week is Michelle Sun. While she is a new instructor this year, she is no stranger to ESF Lawrenceville. In fact, Michelle was a camper at ESF for several years, and even then she proved herself to be a leader early on. Additionally, she was a top swimmer at camp and a new difficulty level was created just for her. Now as an Aquatics Instructor at ESF, Michelle has shown initiative and creates exemplary lesson plans. In those plans she incorporates all kinds of educational aspects and pays close attention to details such as stroke mechanics. It’s those little details that make a difference, the Aquatics Director said when speaking about Michelle.

These two extraordinary Aquatics Instructors go above and beyond in their work and promote fun, education and safety in their swimming lessons, which is part of what makes ESF Lawrenceville as great as it is!