PROVIDENCE, RI – The East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA recently celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of Sophia Academy students to complete the Y’s Safety Around Water program. This milestone marks the success of a new partnership between Sophia Academy and the East Side/Mt. Hope Y, which offers a year-long swim program to students at Sophia Academy.
Michele Fontes, Dean of Students at Sophia Academy, Mike Rollins, Executive Director of the East Side/Mt.Hope Y, and Megan Fiske Aquatics Coordinator at the East Side/Mt.Hope Y worked together to establish the swim program partnership.
“The Greater Providence YMCA remains dedicated to fostering meaningful and long-lasting community partnerships,” said Karen Santilli, CEO of the Greater Providence YMCA. “We are incredibly grateful for our relationship with Sophia Academy. By working together, we’re addressing a critical need and creating opportunities for students to build confidence and life-saving skills. We look forward to expanding partnerships like this across all of our branches to better serve local communities.”
Led by East Side/Mt. Hope Aquatics Coordinator Megan Fiske and a team of six Y swim instructors, the program provides comprehensive water safety education over three months. It equips students with essential skills to stay safe in and around water, while fostering confidence and lifelong awareness.
The program combines in-water training with out-of-water activities to reinforce key lessons, including asking for permission before entering the water, how to call 911, and what critical information to provide during emergencies. The Y’s tailored approach meets each student at their skill level, allowing them to progress at a comfortable pace for optimal learning and retention.
“Our focus at the East Side/Mt. Hope Y is to provide water safety education to underserved communities, addressing drowning disparities among high-risk youth. By empowering these young women, we’re not just teaching life-saving skills—they’re breaking generational cycles of fear and building a healthy relationship with water to pass on to future generations which is truly inspiring,” said Megan Fiske, Aquatics Coordinator at the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA.
The swim program at the East Side/Mt. Hope Y aligns directly with Sophia Academy’s mission to engage girls from low-income families on a joyful quest for self‐discovery and opportunity through a middle school education grounded in social justice.
“Through this partnership, we aim to achieve three key goals: increasing access to aquatic programming, addressing the racial disparities in drowning rates within the Ocean State, and creating opportunities for young women of color to thrive and diversify the field of aquatics,” said Mike Rollins, Executive Director of the East Side/Mt.Hope YMCA. “My vision is to see more children of color participating in school swim teams, becoming swim instructors, and ultimately stepping into leadership roles as lifeguards. I’m especially excited about the prospect of seeing some of these participants work at the GPYMCA in the near future.”
“When I think of outstanding community partners, the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA is at the top of my list. When I spoke to Meg about my vision for this program and how it aligns with Sophia Academy’s guiding principle of social justice she met my enthusiasm and Mike removed all barriers to help make it happen. Learning to swim is historically a social justice issue among black and brown communities, youth and adults alike. This partnership directly combats that injustice, “ said Michele Fontes, Dean of Students at Sophia Academy. “Their instructors have met our students where they are, creating a safe and supportive environment that removes fear and empowers them to develop essential swim skills. I look forward to continuing our partnership with the Y to help even more students gain these vital skills.”
58 students ages 9-14 received certificates after completing the first trimester. Y swim instructors will tailor what the second and third trimester will look like based on the skill and progress of the students.
This partnership demonstrates the Y’s ongoing commitment to addressing disparities in water safety education and expanding access to these vital skills in the community. The second cohort will kick off in January 2025.
The Y introduced the country to group swim lessons over 110 years ago in 1909. The Y’s Safety Around Water program, created in 2011, was specifically designed to help close the drowning disparities gap among youth. Now, as one of the largest community-based organizations in the country, they teach more than a million children, especially those most at risk of drowning, invaluable water safety and swimming skills each year.
ABOUT THE GPYMCA
GPYMCA includes six branch locations across Rhode Island and in Seekonk, Massachusetts, plus Providence Youth Services, and Camp Fuller. The organization provides programs for Rhode Islanders and Massachusetts residents of all ages and supports equitable access to health, fitness, recreational, and other services. In addition, GPYMCA supports high-quality out-of-school time programs and other community-based approaches to delivering health and wellness opportunities, academic enrichment and achievement, and youth development skills.
