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The West Virginia Archery in the Schools Program is teaching students confidence, discipline, and sportsmanship inside and outside the classroom.
This story was originally published in the April 2025 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.
Written by Dawn Nolan
Photos Courtesy of West Virginia Department of Commerce
Since its launch in 2004, nearly 350,000 public, private, and homeschool students have participated in the West Virginia Archery in the Schools Program.
“That’s a lot of kids,” Chris Scraggs, the program’s current coordinator, emphasizes. “And just imagine how amazing that number could be in another 20 years.”
The statewide initiative, which is overseen by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), is part of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), a nationwide initiative aimed at introducing fourth- through twelfth-grade students to the sport of archery. In hopes of improving students’ educational performance, the in-school program teaches focus and mental discipline through individual and team participation.
The program was created in 2002 by the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) and the Kentucky Department of Education. According to Scott Warner, WVDNR assistant chief of wildlife diversity and the program’s original coordinator, it was West Virginia’s significant interest in archery and bowhunting, the WVDNR’s strong relationship with the KDFWR, and support from previous WVDNR Director Ed Hamrick and several wildlife organizations that led the state to become the third in the country to participate in the effort.
A Growing Interest
After months of hard work, a pilot program made up of 18 schools launched in 2004, with the WVDNR providing equipment as well as training and certification for coaches. A highlight from the program’s early years was when the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Romney became the first educational institution in the Nation to have a team consisting of sight- and hearing-impaired students. Another was the first West Virginia Archery in the Schools State Tournament, hosted at Capital High School.
Fun fact: More than 500,000 arrows have since been shot at the annual competition. The number of participating schools has increased steadily. By 2006, the program had doubled in size. In 2010, the program reached 100 schools, and in 2015, 250. Now, around 400 schools are active in the program.
“In 2022, we had about 355 schools. So, in the last three years, we’ve had 50 to 55 schools sign up,” Scraggs says. “Those are new schools, not reactivating. It’s continued to expand, and we don’t see that stopping. We’ve heard from elementary schools that have kids anxiously awaiting to enter fourth grade so they can participate.”
A school is required to have an NASP-certified Basic Archery Instructor to participate in the West Virginia Archery in the Schools Program. Certification is offered by the WVDNR, and upcoming classes—which are free to attend—are posted online, WVdnr.gov/west-virginia-archery-in-the-schools-program.
Educational and Challenging
“The success of the program is attributed not just to kids having fun, but archery being a sport that can continue beyond childhood and youth. It’s a life activity that can be done beyond schools and the backyard,” Warner says.
Even students who have never shot—or even held—a bow before are welcome to participate. While many kids in the program come from hunting families and have experience with bows and bowhunting, Scraggs says, there are many who haven’t even picked one up before. And those who have still learn from the program, finding a difference in bowhunting versus sport archery.
A main difference, in fact—other than a live target—is the bow itself.
“We use a Genesis bow, which only goes up to 20 pounds. It’s meant more for target practice and marksmanship,” Scraggs explains. “So you really have to focus, because you don’t have all the bells and whistles. You’re using only your eyes for sight. Your draw is not a mechanism on your wrist—it’s your actual hand and your muscles. That’s what makes it so much different. It’s because it is your body that is being used to perpetuate this arrow, to pull back this string. It’s teaching you how to breathe.”
Typically taught during gym class, the program meets state and national physical education standards in addition to NASP requirements. Students are required to complete 10 hours of NASP curriculum, ranging from traditional lessons to the actual archery component, all done within school hours. Scraggs likes to remind participants that the school day starts and ends with the first and last bell of the day—anything done outside of those hours is extracurricular and does not count towards the required time.
Offering the program during the school day also allows students who do not want to join a competition team the opportunity to learn the skills and experience the sport. “It’s a great way to expand the program to all kids, even those that might be hesitant,” Scraggs says. “This is why it’s taught in school, because it’s not something just for kids on the team. It’s for the entire school.”
Scraggs added that the records show more than 23,000 students received NASP educational learning during their school days last year—and that’s just in West Virginia. “That’s a number that we’re very proud of because it shows the extent of what these kids are going through.”
At the Range
Schools choosing to offer the NASP curriculum are allowed to form an after-school team that can compete in competitions. A team can range between 12 and 24 archers.
The top eight teams in each division—elementary, middle, and high school—from the state qualifying tournament are selected to participate in the state tournament. The top 15 archers from each division who are not already on a qualifying team are also eligible to participate in the state tournament.
The 2025 State Tournament will be held on Saturday, March 29 at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center. “Last year, for our qualifying tournament, we had 1,400 archers, and that was from around 87 schools,” Scraggs recalls. “From the qualifier, I’d say we had about 670 or so that moved on to the state tournament. That was about 69 or 70 schools, and the school representation is from all over—from each point of the panhandles, to each point of the southern coalfields, to Charleston and its outskirts. That’s how far these kids will come.”
First-place teams plus the top 10 winners in each division in the state tournament are qualified to attend the NASP Eastern National Tournament, scheduled for May 8–10, in Louisville, Kentucky. The NASP Championship will take place June 5–7 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “We’ve had schools that have ranked at the top or very high nationally,” Scraggs says. “These are very talented, very skilled kids.”
The West Virginia Archery in the Schools Program has had a profound impact on Scraggs and Warner, as well as the lives of the students who go through it. “I’ve seen some of the best things while coordinating the program, and it touches my heart every day,” Scraggs says. “This program is not about just getting kids outdoors, it’s not about just getting them to be hunters. This program is teaching them discipline and teaching them sportsmanship. They’re learning that, whether they win or lose, they’re all part of the same team.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Warner agrees. “I have really enjoyed being a part of the program—from the early efforts working with West Virginia Department of Education to initiate the program in 2002, to overseeing the pilot program, to the certification for the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, to seeing the first arrows shot at a state tournament in 2006, to current successes and continued interest in the growth of the program after 20 years—these will all be moments I’ll never forget.”
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