Harman School teachers Dave Armentrout and Rocky Nestor, co-sponsors of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), are launching the program at Harman.
NASP is a joint venture between the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Department of Education.
The after-school program, designed to build student success, has been credited with improving student behavior, grades and attendance.
Armentrout and Nestor completed 12 hours of basic archery instructor training in Davis before initiating the program this year.
Students will learn international-style target archery, shooting at 80-centimeter bull's eye targets placed at varying distances.
The program stresses safety, history, archery technique, range setup, steps to archery success, mental concentration and core-strengthening physical fitness.
Funding for the program came through a grant from the NRA Foundation Inc. Harman School PTSO and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Super Fund Tygart Valley Chapter of Elkins also made monetary contributions. Sonny's Carpet in Elkins donated protective carpet for the gym floor.
Brad Basil of The Art Medium Co. designed the logos and printed the T-shirts for the students. Nandel Graphics printed the shirts for the instructors. The funds were used to purchase new bows and other necessary equipment.
"We are thrilled to be able to offer this program for our students. I appreciate the effort and hard work that Mr. Armentrout and Mr. Nestor have put into getting this up and running," Harman Principal Debbie Schmidlen said.
