How I spent my Shelter Island summer: Swim Class of 2022 makes a splash
Living on an island, it goes without saying that children will spend summer days learning to master the water.
This summer, like so many before, saw three groups of students learning the basics and sharpening their strokes under the tutelage of Nell Lowell, who meets her classes at Wades Beach and helps them learn basic safety as well as the fun of splashing through the waves on their own.
Three days a week, under the auspices of the Town of Shelter Island and the Red Cross, she gave group lessons. The lessons offered at Wades Beach served children from age 4-9; 3-year-olds could participate if their parents came in the water with them.
Nell Lowell has been giving swim lessons at the beach since the 1990s, continuing the tradition of her grandfather, Jack Wroble, who taught for many summers at Crescent Beach. The parents and grandparents of many of this current class learned their first kicks and strokes under his guidance.
As Summer 2022 goes into the books, special memories will include fun days at the beach where boys and girls earned confidence and a sense of accomplishment for what they’ve mastered.
