Archery in Mississippi Schools
Archery in Mississippi Schools (AIMS) is designed to introduce 4th-12th grade students to the sport of International-Style Target Archery during their Physical Education Class ( a 10 hour in-school per year requirement) and as an extracurricular team sport. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) is the driving force behind AIMS. The program, which began in 2006 with 10 schools, is now over 500 schools and in over 50 counties. The growth of AIMS has followed the national trend of Archery being the fastest growing sport nationwide and statewide. The first statewide Archery Invitational was held in Mississippi in 2011 with 400 student archers competing; and that number has expanded to over 6,000 student archers competing annually in the AIMS State Championship Series. Through the sport of archery, AIMS teaches safety, mental concentration, physical fitness, and self improvement. Research shows that the program improves students' self-confidence, motivation, behavior, concentration, and focus. The program has also shown to increase students' desire to attend school. In addition to all of the above benefits, AIMS is fun, safe, and can be enjoyed by youth regardless of athletic ability. Educators report that the archery in the schools program "engages the unengaged" and inspires students to greater achievement in school. Archery is a sport nearly everyone can truly be successful at regardless of age, size, or physical ability. Statistics show that school archery programs engage more students in the educational process, improve classroom performance, and reduce drop out rates.
contact the AIMS Department:
aimssouth@yahoo.com
Steve Smith/AIMS Assistant Coordinator
Xtreme & Outdoor
BAI Instructor
dsouthfishing@gmail.com
Jason Johnson/AIMS Rules Arbitrator/Event Floor Coordinator
BAI Instructor
aimsrules@yahoo.com
John McDonald/AIMS Tournament Registration/Team Scheduling
BAI Instructor
jmcdonaldjr@yahoo.com
Trey Humphreys/AIMS North
BAI Instructor
treyhumphreys@yahoo.com
John Baker/AIMS Central
BAI Instructor
jbaker@stjoeirish.org
