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“The uniqueness of the program si that it’s such a big melting pot, and it provides a great opportunity for everyone – and we’ve kept it free all these years,” said Holt.
#WORDSWORTH ACADEMY FORT WASHINGTON UPDATE#
Donations of money or tennis equipment can be made via the group’s Facebook page or via the Blogspot page he maintains to update campers on various activities.
Holt said the program is casual but competitive, and operates at no cost to those who attend. So far this summer, one Wednesday was called off due to extreme heat, so the program will now run through August 10, ending before volunteers have to start preparing to go back to school. In the first year of the program, roughly 15 special needs kids took part, and in recent years that number has grown closer to 60 – not all of them turn out every day, but upwards of 40 kids each Wednesday will share five tennis courts at Gwynedd Mercy. It’s such a unique blend of people, from so many different towns,” Holt said. “It’s a tremendous social outlet for these kids, and really for everyone that’s involved. We have five 13-year-olds running one court, which I think is awesome, because it shows them responsibility,” he said. “They go to the same school, they’re friends, they know each other and they basically take over (supervising) one court. Tennis players from Gwynedd Mercy help out with teaching and organizing the participants, and Holt said a large group of teenagers and other award-winning tennis players from the school have been particularly helpful this year. “Sometimes we’ll say, ‘Volunteer David just served, and it was 15-all, so what’s the score now that he won the point?’ and somebody will raise their hand and get it,” he said. Wordsworth Academy is the 269th largest private school in Pennsylvania and the 5,727th largest nationally. Wordsworth Academy insights Based on 17 survey responses What people like Ability to meet personal goals Areas for improvement Fair pay for job Inclusive work environment Trust in colleagues Great atmosphere Administrative Assistant (Former Employee) - Philadelphia, PA - JanuI loved working at Wordsworth. “We’ll take a couple of volunteers and they’ll play against each other, just to show them how fun the sport can be to watch,” Holt said. Wordsworth Academy is a private elementary school located in Fort Washington, PA and enrolls 188 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th.
#WORDSWORTH ACADEMY FORT WASHINGTON HOW TO#
They learn basic drills and techniques, and more advanced attendees learn how to keep score using the 15-30-40-point system and follow professional players. Those who take part range in age from elementary school through adults in their 40s and 50s, and typically play against others in the same age range. “I said to myself, ‘if there’s anybody that can do this thing, it’s me, because I have access to both: I have the tennis knowledge, and the resources,” he said. “I was a high school tennis coach at the time, and I said to myself ‘Wait a minute – I have the resources to do this, I can get some of my players to help, I have access to a special needs population,'” The idea for the “Touch of Tennis” program came to Holt, he says, when he was considering other ways to help the special needs students meet other people, and have fun outdoors while doing so. “I did a little match against the coach, and it was fun. On a court for adults, tennis buddies Philip Tapper, Dan Gallagher and Nathan Lee worked out with Holt’s father Jim Senior – and Nathan beat Jim Senior, knocking two backhand volleys past his instructor. She has a little bit of a tough time interacting with other kids, so it’s a nice environment. In general, it was a wonderful experience and one that I would like to do again, whether it be in a school or a business.“It’s nice, because she gets some time to socialize with other kids. My principal was thrilled and the kids felt like they were contributing to society. Several parents, visitors, and prospective students were able to take a copy with them. We also distributed it to all staff, and had several copies in the main sitting area. It was distributed to all classrooms at the end of the week or so. With this person's assistance and that of others, our newspaper was a hit. We had somebody from the Trenton Times come in and actually show us how to take photos and layout a school newspaper. My students were allowed to write about anything of interest and contribute puzzles, mazes, and games. And so, the Wordsworth Weekly newspaper was born. They refused to do work, but as soon as I mentioned writing and creating their own newspaper, that got their attention. These students hated school, hated teachers and anybody in authority. My biggest accomplishment with this group was writing a newspaper.
It took them a while to settle down, but they eventually did. I had students who were Severely Emotionally Disturbed and were going through the teenage blues. This was one of my favorite places to work.
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