South Jersey School Closings
There’s always a ripple effect with a move as significant as the closing of the Voorhees branch of the Camden County YMCA.
But for the swim team that calls the facility home, the ripples seem more like tidal waves.
“It’s just a sad state of affairs,” said Peter Holcroft, coach of the South Jersey Aquatic Club.
Holcroft has been scrambling to find pool time for his team, which includes about 140 members from ages 6-18.
Holcroft said Camden County YMCA officials have indicated they will keep the pool at the Voorhees facility open until Friday, but the coach has no guarantees after that.
Holcroft said he has contacted several area facilities in hopes of arranging pool time, but most are booked by other clubs as well as high school teams.
Holcroft said more times should open at places such as GCIT in Sewell when the high school season winds down in late February. But in the meantime, the South Jersey Aquatic Club team, which includes swimmers such as Eastern High School star Jacquie Ward, is trying to prepare for the “Y” state meet in March as well as the national meet in April.
“Our big hope is that they will keep this pool open,” Holcroft said. “These are great young people who are being affected by this. They work hard, they don’t do drugs, they compete in sports and now they are being told, “By the way, you have to try to find some other place to swim because of bad decisions that were made.’ “
In announcing that the Voorhees branch would be closed Sunday, YMCA officials on Thursday cited decreased donor support, declining membership and the economic downturn.
The move comes less than a year after the YMCA closed its Camden branch, a development that Holcroft said forced the South Jersey Aquatic Club to cut loose more than 100 members.
“We had 250 kids last year and now we’re at 140,” Holcroft said. “When they closed that Camden facility, we had to cut 100 kids. And that pool (in Camden) is just sitting there while they try to sell the building.
“This is one of the richest swim areas in the entire country, and we can’t find a place for these kids to swim. It’s just sad.”
Reach Phil Anastasia at (856) 486-2424 or panastasia@courierpostonline.com
Tags: closings, jersey, school, south
Just a shining, huge asshole in the sky, opened wide with fingers, one which is clothed in a single golden ring like a beacon of graciousness and love.Ha ha ha, I’m just kidding, Christians are okay because they are also human beings.
Exactly! When did we stop rewarding everyday bravery? It was just completely ignored in this case.”Thanks for saving 40 children from a fiery crash. Here is your detention.”
Slap their wrists with a ruler or give ‘em the ol’ multi-holed paddle.
This’ll show you to rescue elementary school children. She’ll be a good example for the rest of the high school students who’ll obviously still skip school but now won’t go out of their way to save a lot of people if it gets them in trouble.
Absolutely. God is a huge asshole.
My first instinct is “WTF” but I gotta ask: was this the first/only time she skipped school, or is this she does often?If it was the first time, then (IMO) the school is over-reaching and a stern talking-to would suffice. But if she’s an habitual truant, I won’t have much sympathy for her.
15-year-old student disciplined after skipping school without calling in sick.
She should plan on being sick in advance next time.
Stop posting facts.
So what happens in the case of a thief saving a persons life? Wouldn’t the thief be disciplined regardless of the heroic act?
Somebody needs to come to their senses and put things in perspective before they screw up a lot of kids over there.
She wasn’t punished for stopping the bus. She was punished for ditching school.
When everything is about “zero tolerance”, your brains just blindly apply the rules, no questions asked.
It is pointless to hypothesize on a fictional situation when you have a perfectly realistic one here. I would be more interested in hearing your thoughts about the article.I am not sure if you are trying to justify the detention, or just bring up a larger conversation point. I personally think that it is a mistake to ignore the fact that she stopped the bus. Even if they give her a detention for (coming to school late?), they should reward her for stopping the bus.
Blame it on a “god” !?The girl just did the right thing and doesn’t need a superstitious excuse.