Sussex County Charter School students learn archery

SPARTA — The 225 middle school students at the Sussex County Charter School for Technology (SCCST) have been actively engaged in learning about archery this school year.

Because of the students' efforts to embrace the subject, five grants have been awarded to the innovative public school totaling nearly $3,000 in funding for future archery programs and equipment.

The grants were awarded by the New Jersey Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NJAHPERD), New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, The Appalachian Bowman's Club of Sussex County, United Bow Hunters of New Jersey and the Traditional Archers of New Jersey.

"We are so grateful to these generous organizations, the local community and our Parent Teacher Organization for supporting our efforts to teach students about the fundamentals of archery in our physical education classes," said Elise Tooker, physical education teacher at the Sussex County Charter School. "We are extremely excited to have our very own equipment at the school so students can enjoy archery throughout the school year."

In addition to learning the fundamentals of archery throughout November, students were also invited to a tournament on Nov. 25 to determine who will compete at the National Archery in the Schools program, which is a statewide competition hosted in the Spring. The SCCST team will consist of 17 members.

"Archery provides us with the ability to connect students to health, physics, nature and athletics all at once," Tooker said. "Archery has become a very popular sport among our middle school students, which has made Physical Education an exciting class where students can learn to develop their skills and passion for the sport."