Morrison’s summer school students got a real summer treat Thursday. As part of their Olympics-themed summer Acceleration Academy, Olympic swim medalist Paige Northcutt addressed a packed house. Showing them her Olympic bronze medal, she told the students all about her Olympic experience and let them ask questions. 

Teacher Angie Childers, who heads up the summer learning camps, said they chose the Olympics as it is set to begin in Paris, France later this summer. 

“Our campers have been divided into teams and are competing for the end-of-camp gold medals,” explained Childers. “Each day during our breakfast time we learn something new about the Olympics. We were very excited to have Mrs. Northcutt come to visit us because this brought the Olympic experience to the students in a whole different way that was personal.”

Northcutt, wearing an Olympic T-shirt with the iconic five rings, explained its origins.

“While there’s technically seven continents,” she explained to the students, "the Olympics are symbolized by five rings representing North America, South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.” 

She told them about growing up in Florida in Fort Lauderdale and attending the University of Florida where she won five NCAA titles and was named an All-American 12 times. 

One boy wanted to know how tall Northcutt was. She revealed she was 6 foot 2 inches tall and that swimmers are usually tall and lanky as they can move through the water faster that way.

In the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea, she won a bronze medal in the 4x100 free relay. In the 1986 Goodwill Games, she won gold in both freestyle relays and a bronze in the 100-meter freestyle.

She told them about the bright neon lights of Tokyo which were brighter and more expansive than those of New York City. She described the de-militarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea and what an impression it made on her as a young woman.

Northcutt fielded a variety of questions from the elementary-age students. One little girl wanted to know if anyone ever cheated in the Olympics. The room became silent enough to hear a pin drop waiting for the answer. 

“Yes,” she responded, “A girl was accused of taking steroids and blamed it on me and my friends, saying we’d slipped the drug into her drinks. That was impossible as the steroids were administered by a needle.”

Childers says the summer learning camps have been going well so far. 

“These camps are designed to ensure that our students are provided continuous instructional support during the summer months, so that they are able to begin the upcoming school year ready to learn,” she said.

She explained the “Summer Slide,” when a certain amount of skills are lost over the summer months. She says it’s the goal of these camps to decrease this learning loss and accelerate the learning for the next school year. 

Childers said the summer learning camps are usually on a first-come, first-serve basis, with parents filling out applications. Students in upcoming kindergarten through 9th grade are eligible.  This year’s Acceleration Academy started Monday June 3 and runs through Thursday June 27. Daily scheduling includes 90 minutes or more of both math and reading instruction. There is also a daily STREAM class (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Math), and physical activity. “We have great teachers who work during the summer to help our students.” Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are provided. There is no cost for students who attend the Acceleration Academy.

While encouraging students to see the world and to remember it is a very big world out there, Northcutt also spoke of patriotism. “There are freedoms Americans might take for granted like getting to choose what church to attend. Not every nation gets to have that freedom,” she reminded the students.

Students got to stand up and try out some popular swim strokes from butterfly to the breast stroke. Northcutt said freestyle was her personal favorite.

She encouraged her audience to watch the upcoming Olympics in Paris. The opening ceremony promises to be quite a show and will feature the athletes on water on the River Seine. The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature four additional sports special to Paris: breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. The Games of the XXXIII Olympics opens July 26 and will go to Aug. 11. 

She and her husband, chiropractor Dr. Leland Northcutt, own USA Gym in McMinnville. 

She also trains and coaches young swimmers for the McMinnville Swim Team.