Archery program launches in Mt. Pleasant schools

MT. PLEASANT — A new archery program is now underway at Mt. Pleasant Schools thanks to a collaboration between local conservation groups and the school district.

Spearheaded by Executive Director of Henry County Conservation Caleb Waters and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Henry County Dan Henderson, the program aims to provide students with a hands-on, competitive experience in archery, similar to the well-established trap shooting teams in the region.

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“We are pretty excited to start this,” Waters said.

After holding an initial interest meeting at the beginning of November at the Oakland Mills Nature Center, MPCSD Archery club started with their first practice Nov. 13, with 20 students. The group gathered at Van Allen Elementary School’s gym.

“It’s a work in progress, but we’re hoping to grow the program and get more students involved as word gets out,” Waters said.

Waters, who has been working behind the scenes with Henderson on the program, emphasized that the archery initiative is intended to be inclusive and benefit as many students as possible. This is made a reality thanks to the generosity of local conservation organizations.

Financial support for the program was generously provided by local organizations. The Mt. Pleasant chapter of Whitetails Unlimited Southeast Iowa and Henry County chapter of Pheasants Forever have each donated funds to purchase essential equipment, including 12 Matthew Genesis bows, targets, arrows, and an arrow backdrop.

"Without the support of these groups, we wouldn’t have been able to get started," Waters noted.

Students in fifth through 12th grade are invited to participate. For more information or to sign up, students and their families are encouraged to contact Caleb Waters or Dan Henderson.

“We’ve been talking about it for the last two years, trying to get this archery program started,” Waters said.

With backgrounds in conservation, both Henderson and Waters appear to be the right fit to launch this program. The duo also come to the program with experience teaching MPCSD elementary students about archery this spring as certified National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) instructors. Henry County Conservation Naturalist Kendall Prehn and Assistant Naturalist Shania Hansen also assisted with these lessons for fourth and fifth grade MPCSD and Mt. Pleasant home-school students after receiving their certifications in October 2023.

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Through NASP, instructors teach students specifics of archery such as the order of operations: stance, nock, draw handset, bow hand set, pre-draw, draw, anchor, aim, shot setup, release, and follow through/reflect.

Additionally, the NASP program, which is implemented in schools across the country, focuses on building skills, discipline, and teamwork in students. According to NASP’s website, the program is designed to teach students safe and effective archery techniques while also encouraging positive behaviors like concentration, confidence, and patience. It also gives students the chance to compete in regional and state-level tournaments.

NASP state tournaments are typically held in March and offer students an outlet to their skills in a competitive environment. These state-level events also give students opportunities to earn scholarships to continue their education while pursuing archery at the collegiate level.

“Last year, over $22,000 in scholarships were awarded to students to go on and shoot at community colleges across the state,” Waters said. “So, it is an exciting program.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com