![After the Raider's first goal of the game, scored by senior captain Luke Galizio, the players pile onto the glass by the student section to celebrate, igniting the crowd into a roar. "The atmosphere was incredible, having two towns that both come to support us is amazing," Galizio said. "When [the crowd] started chanting 'Raider nation' it made [the game] feel like it wasn't just one team against another, we had a whole building of fans supporting us."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/06FBB04E-4C03-408A-B554-FE6C06CE8C08_1_105_c.jpeg)
![The Class of 2025 rushes the stage at the end of senior show. "[Senior show] was super fun, and it was a great way for all of us to come together for the start of senior spring," senior Amelia Lang said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_0522-1200x800.jpg)
Swimming has a strong presence in the Schwartz family with senior Isabel and sophomore Maddy on the WHS team, mother Janet Schwartz a coach for Wayland’s elementary and middle school team, Junior Warriors, and Jack Schwartz involved in the swim program as well.
So when an elementary teacher told Isabel and Maddy that many of the young METCO students were missing out on fun end-of-school pool parties due to their inability to swim, the Schwartz family came together to form Water Warriors, a program that would teach METCO students how to swim.
“We just couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go to a pool party and not be able to swim because we have grown up around water, and we’re so comfortable swimming. That became our main motivation [to start Water Warriors],” Maddy said.
The program began in the spring of 2011, after WHS’s swim season. Isabel, Maddy and Janet put their heads together to create a system that would let high school swimmers educate the young METCO students about swimming and water safety.
“Maddy and I help coordinate with all the high schoolers, but our mom helps do more of the lesson planning because she’s WSI (Water Safety Instructor) certified, and she has a lot of experience in coaching,” Isabel said.
The program has since grown to accomodate more advanced swimmers and now boasts almost 100 members, including its instructors. The girls feel lucky their mother is at the heart of the program.
“Sometimes our mom will have to remind us to do things for Water Warriors that we don’t necessarily have time for,” Maddy said. “She helps us remember why we’re doing it and encourages us to find time to get it done.”
As Isabel gets ready to leave for college, both she and her sister are confident about the future of the program that they created together.
“It will probably stay in our family for a long time,” Maddy said. “I know after us, Jack will probably work on it. I know our mom will stay with it because she loves it. It will definitely get passed through the swimming community because we all love to swim.”
