Lafayette Elementary School
Contributor
Over the past few months, the fifth-graders at Lafayette Elementary School have been participating in an archery program as part of their physical education (PE) curriculum. This program was run by PE instructor Jerod Brock, along with Glenn Zirkle and Mike McCray from the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office. The focus of the program was on sportsmanship, ethics and proper archery etiquette while also emphasizing the importance of a positive attitude and skill improvement.
The training began with students learning essential safety rules and some background on the history of Olympic archery. They practiced shooting in small groups over several months. At the conclusion of the practice sessions, students were scored, and the top two boys and girls from each class, along with two "wild card" students—the next highest overall scorers from the fifth grade—advanced to the finals.
In the finals round, these students competed for the title of top fifth-grade archer. Replica gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the winners. In the girls' category, Ameliet Nieves-Ramos won gold, Kelsey Rutherford received silver, and Maryssa Hall took home bronze for the 2024-25 school year. In the boys' category, Ryan "RJ" Warsaw won gold, Easton Williams secured silver, and Kaleb Rodgers won bronze.
Overall, the archery program was a great success, providing fifth-grade students at Lafayette Elementary School with valuable lessons and a lot of fun.
