Cranberry Township joined communities around the world for the 14th annual World's Largest Swimming Lesson, a 24-hour drive to teach proper swimming safety and habits. Township swim instructors and staff from the Goldfish Swim School in Wexford offered free swimming lessons for all ages during a 30-minute period on Thursday, June 22. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

CRANBERRY TWP — For the first time, Cranberry Township Waterpark partnered with the Goldfish Swim School on Thursday, June 22, to host the 14th annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.

“It’s incredibly important — drowning prevention is what we’re here for,” said Megan Holenick, director of operations for the school. “We teach water safety to swimmers of all ages. Drowning is scary, and it’s something that is preventable.”

Over 35,000 communities around the world participated in this swim lesson to teach the principles of water safety for all ages.

“We have our instructors in the water and we have instructors from Cranberry Township Waterpark, and we’re going through a curriculum that teaches safety skills,” Holenick said. “We’re teaching swimmers how to float on their back, how to hold their breath, how to do a front crawl or pulling paddle to swim to the closest edge.”