SUFFERN CENTRAL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS, ROCKLAND COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION AND THE UNITED STATES TENNIS ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES TENNIS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS GRADES K-6
Rockland, NY - Thanks to the partnership between the Suffern Central School District Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Rockland Community Tennis Association (RCTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Suffern Central School District will host a series of after school tennis programs for K-6 students at the district’s participating schools starting January 2022.
“With a little coordination and a lot of support, we are excited for the opportunity to provide this amazing program to students of Rockland County. Among obvious health and mental benefits tennis offers, it also provides an easy and effective way for children to socialise,” said RCTA Co-founder Dennis Zaide. “Every child should have access to creating positive and memorable experiences while in a team amongst friends while representing their school. A tennis program in schools does exactly that in a safe and healthy environment.”
The USTA has created an extensive package of resources that make starting a tennis program easy and enjoyable for after school program providers and organizers. Every day, the USTA and its partners like RCTA help the children not just learn the sport, but self-confidence, sportsmanship, and the habits of an active healthy lifestyle. Committed to the growth of youth tennis, RCTA also assists parent teacher associations, schools and community centers in identifying and obtaining available grants, equipment in-kind and other resources required to start a program.
Suffern High School Girls and Boys Junior Varsity Coach and Physical Education Teacher, Giancarlo Palumbo said in a statement – “We are very excited with the formation of an after school tennis program for all five of Suffern Central’s elementary schools and Suffern Middle School. This program will deliver fun and engaging tennis lessons to our students. The lessons will be run by a certified tennis coach and assisted by Suffern High School student volunteers.”
“We would like to send a special thank you to the USTA for providing our schools tennis equipment and for their generous grant to help jump start the program in each of the schools participating.”
Participating SCSD schools include the Cherry Lane, Montebello, R.P. Connor, Sloatsburg and Viola Elementary School’s with a 6th grade program to be held at Suffern Middle School. Dates, times and duration vary from each school based on each facility's availability. Starting as early as January 10, 2022, SCSD students will have the opportunity to play tennis every week for several weeks.
Tentative schedule listed below and may be subject to change. Please refer to the final schedules at each of the PTA’s websites (https://www.sufferncentral.org/pta/).
Cherry Lane Elementary School
Begins: April 4, 2022
Frequency: Every Monday (All Grades)
Duration: 6 Weeks
Montebello Elementary School
Begins: March 7, 2022
Frequency: Every Monday and Wednesday (All Grades)
Duration: 4 Weeks
R.P. Connor Elementary School
Begins: January 10, 2022
Frequency: Every Monday (Grades K-2) / Every Tuesday (Grades 3-5)
Duration: 6 Weeks
Sloatsburg Elementary School
Begins: January 12, 2022
Frequency: Every Wednesday (All Grades)
Duration: 8 Weeks
Viola Elementary School
Begins: March 1, 2022
Frequency: Every Tuesday (All Grades)
Duration: 6 Weeks
Suffern Middle School
Begins: February 10, 2022
Frequency: Every Thursday (6th Grade)
Duration: 6 Weeks
For anyone interested in bringing tennis into their schools or comm, please contact rocklandcta@gmail.com
For additional information regarding other tennis play opportunities, visit the RCTA website at https://playtennis.usta.com/rocklandcommunitytennis.
About Rockland Community Tennis Association (RCTA)
RCTA is a member organization of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). It creates, implements, and organizes tennis events and activities for our community. Registered with Net Generation, RCTA is committed to the growth of youth tennis.
About Suffern Central School District Parent Teacher Associations
The SCSD PTAs build bridges between families and schools in our culturally rich community. Through meaningful events and effective fundraising, we enhance learning experiences, strengthen communication between home and school and celebrate every child.
About United States Tennis Association, Eastern Section
The USTA Eastern Section, currently based in White Plains, N.Y., is a not-for-profit community service organization whose mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis. It is one of 17 geographic sections of the United States Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in the United States, and supports more than 49,000 members. The section encompasses all of New York State, northern New Jersey and Greenwich, Connecticut. The section believes there is a place in the game for everyone, and its staff works to incorporate programs and initiatives that attract new and diverse audiences. The section also establishes and maintains rules of fair play, high standards of sportsmanship and represents, in its jurisdiction, the programs and policies of the USTA.
