Adopt-a-School Program Growing

TEATICKET, Mass. – Carrie Shanahan had seen first-hand the impact that tennis programming could have on young children when she worked for a parks and recreation department a few years back.

Now an elementary school physical education teacher, Shanahan jumped at the opportunity to expose her students to the game through the USTA’s Adopt-a-School program, which utilizes the talent and energy of local tennis enthusiasts to become advocates for promoting tennis in schools.

Shanahan became aware of the Adopt-a-School program when she attended USTA New England’s annual School Tennis Summit last fall at Babson College.

The Teaticket Elementary School received equipment and training, and the after-school tennis programming took off in a big way.

"We had introduced tennis in general in PE class during the winter and each student had four classes," Shanahan said. "There was a definite interest and I thought an after-school program might work."

It certainly did.

More than 100 students took part in the weekly after-school programs, which were broken down into two segments – one for first- and second-graders, one for third- and fourth-graders.

"The program was a definite success," said Shanahan,noting that many of the children who participated have already signed up to continue tennis in various local summer programs. "Out of the 110 kids who signed up, not one dropped out. A lot of them liked it so much, they went out and bought their own racquets."

Shanahan was assisted in running the tennis activities, which centered around the QuickStart format, by local junior high school students.

Similar programs have formed across New England, including many in which local Community Tennis Associations adopt a nearby school. Currently, more than 30 New England schools are involved in the Adopt-a-School program.

"The Adopt-a-School program is a terrific means by which to connect volunteers passionate about introducing the game to a new audience of potential players, who will be able to experience the benefits of tennis for a lifetime," said Deirdre McCormack, USTA New England's Director of Community Tennis. "We will continue to work to connect volunteers and schools to build on such successes."

For more information on the program, or to participate in Adopt-a-School, click here.