Seven students have become Dunbar High School’s first class of scuba divers to receive a Professional Association of Diving Instructors’ Open Water certification. However, it’s an unusual pursuit, scuba diving is part of the DC Public School system’s physical education “outdoor pursuits” program, which also includes hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and canoeing.
“I was actually scared that I might drown because I wasn’t a good — I wasn’t a great swimmer … I took the class because I felt like it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity … I was like, why not … so I just took the chance and did it,” said Jabria Daniel, a 17-year-old senior at Dunbar.
The students, including a visiting student from Theodore Roosevelt High School, underwent rigorous instruction and dive tests in Dunbar’s swimming pool and then earned their certification in a recent scuba dive in the Florida Keys.
“We saw a whole bunch of fish, whole bunch of coral. We saw some sharks and a little barracuda,” said Yamar Johnson, a junior at Dunbar.
The scuba diving class received their certificates in a Monday afternoon program in the school library attended by DCPS Chancellor Dr. Lewis Ferebee.
“This was a special day for us to celebrate this inaugural class … not only the work they’ve done and what they accomplished is impressive, but it was a life-changing experience, — the persistence, the exponential learning, what they learned about themselves,” said Lewis Ferebee.
“When I first got into the class … I was really scared … scuba diving is very intimidating, especially when you’re gonna go in the ocean. But as long as you stay calm and you really focus on what you’re doing … everything will be all right and you’ll be fine,” said Johnson.
The students agreed that the lessons they learned in the scuba class have given them a great sense of accomplishment and a new confidence that they’re ready to take on many of life’s challenges.
Some said it has potentially opened a career path.
“Actually my first career option was nursing, but now I have been open to more experiences. So another career option I was thinking about is majoring in biology and maybe do marine biology,” Jabria Daniel said.
It’s a small group of instructors and dive masters teaching students at Dunbar, Roosevelt and Wilson high schools, including Bruce Bradford, who founded the program, and one of his former students, Earnest Franklin.
“We know that this inaugural class is just the beginning, and so we expect to see many more of our DCPS students have this experience,” Ferebee said.
