Nadyne Siegel-Brown
Meet Nadyne and Our Staff
Nadyne Siegel-Brown
Nadyne has been teaching aquatic survival for 25 years, dedicating her life to saving children from drowning. Her focus is on teaching infants, toddlers and young children proper survival skills and educating parents and caregivers on the layers of aquatic protection. Her passion is contagious, and most of her young students develop a love for swimming, which translates to a lifelong sport for health and well-being.
Growing up in Central Florida, water has always been a huge part of my life. In 1986 I was introduced to aquatic self rescue for infants and toddlers when I enrolled my 18 month old in such a program. I was a water baby and that's what I wanted for my son. Watching Jacob's aquatic transformation inspired me to become an instructor. Searching for a gentler and more comprehensive approach to teaching swimming, Aquatic Specialist of Atlanta and then SwimKids of Georgia was born. Today, I am continuously honing my skills by learning new and innovative ways of teaching swimming from other instructors in the aquatics field. My young students never cease to amaze me with their aquatic abilities and their love for the water.
Over the years, I have received calls and letters from parents whose children have experienced an aquatic accident. Whether at a pool, lake, or hot tub, parents are incredibly relieved to find that their children have saved themselves. "The lessons really work!" It also gives me great pleasure to see so many of my students move on to competitive swimming both on summer and year round teams. The satisfaction gained from working with these children is the reward for all my efforts, and I look forward to waking up and going to work every day. I want to thank you for your interest in SwimKids of Georgia home of Infant Aquatic and I hope that you will take the steps to give your child the edge that could possibility save his/her life. Join me and DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE OUR SWIM INSTRUCTION CAN MAKE IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE!
And always remember: SWIMMING IS FOR LIFE... NOT JUST SUMMER!
Mariann Marksberry
Certified Infant Aquatics Instructor
Mariann is the mother of Lauren and Samantha who are graduates of the Infant Aquatics program. Mariann was a paralegal, and a preschool teacher. After enrolling her children - Lauren at 6 months, and Samantha, four years later at 7 months, she knew that she had found her calling. Seven years later she finally trained. Mariann is a loving and talented instructor and a much welcomed addition to our staff!
Here is what our parents have to say about Mariann
My daughter is 1 and my son almost 3. The lessons were intense. It was hard to watch the kids struggle with what they had to learn. Mariann was calmly and consistently reassuring and remained that way throughout the 6 weeks of lessons. She handled my children's strong resistance with careful and loving skill. It seemed at times like the kids would never make progress. Then one day, it happened: they were floating on their backs! It was amazing and very exciting for all of us. Mariann was as excited as I was! It was wonderful to see my children's instructor take as much pride and satisfaction in the progress of my kids as I did! Mariann has a mother's gentle touch that my baby girl absorbed at each lesson. My kids eventually came to take pride in their abilities, at the end of lesson they would actually strut back to the car! The children bonded with Ms. Mariann and she will certainly be missed!
We are in California now and already my daughter has used her skills at my mom's pool. While sitting at the edge of the pool applying sun block I turned my head for a moment. When I looked back I glanced down at the pool and saw my daughter swimming up from the bottom. When she got to the top, she grabbed the wall and held on just like she had been taught! Thank you Mariann and Infant Aquatic!
Jasmine Zamora
Infant Aquatics is a great program and Mariann is an amazing instructor. I heard of the program thru a friend, and I immediately signed up my 3 year old son. Six weeks later he had the skills to survive if needed, Andrew had a real fear of the water, and Mariann was so incredible with him. She really worked on getting to know him and making him feel as comfortable/secure as possible. I can't say enough about Infant Aquatics and specifically Mariann. She was so gentle with Andrew and right from the start I could tell that she truly loves children. Andrew would cry throughout much of the lesson and as soon as we would get into the car he would say that he wanted "Mariann to come over to his house to play." I knew he secretly liked her and the lessons. :) She was the perfect instructor for my child.
Mindy Greene
After enrolling my daughter in another swim class where she did not want to get in the pool, I was surprised to see how quickly Mariann established rapport with her, getting smiles and an interest in learning at the very first lesson. Hannah is now confident and skilled in the water and often asks about Miss Mariann. My 4 year old son was terrified to put his face and head under the water and now begs to dive off the side. He swims the length of the pool and is proud of his accomplishments. Though it took 3 weeks to break the anxiety he had in the pool, he always loved to be with Mariann. She is firm, yet loving and truly makes a connection with each of her students. We look forward to group lessons with SwimKids of Georgia.
Laurie Campbell
Director
First Presbyterian Preschool
Shannon O'Lear
Certified Infant Aquatics Instructor
Shannon is a South Carolina native who grew up in a family of competitive swimmers. Both her children are aquatic survival graduates, which inspired her to become an instructor - a dream that took 10 years before she could train with Nadyne! Before this foray into the water, Shannon was an award-winning investigative newspaper reporter and grants writer.
Here is what our parents have to say about Shannon
Infant Aquatics is a great program. I can't rave enough about both the program and the instructors. My son was 2.5 years old when he first started with the program and within 4 weeks I was very confident that if he fell in a body of water that he will be able to survive.
Ms. Shannon is one of the instructors of the program. Shannon is very patient and caring in the way she teaches the kids. My son absolutely loves her.
Jennifer Reeves
My two year old son had his first swim lessons with Shannon. She was very calming and gained his confidence quickly. Shannon attempted to really get to know my son and provide individualized lessons. She understands that children are not "one-size-fits-all" and tailors her instruction to their learning style. Her commitment to teaching swimming is evident. I intend to have each of my children take this course.
Amarah Johnson
My 2 year old daughter Samantha came to SwimKids of Georgia after swimming with another local swim school for a year. After a year she was not swimming and we decided to look into other options as, we knew she loved the water. I found SwimKids of Georgia after talking to a friend who thought, the method that they use was "a little too much for her" but, I'll say this I'm so thankful that we didn't listen to her. Shannon is the best. She's very confident in what she does and has a unique calmness about herself. The first full week my daughter screamed as loud as she possibly could while Shannon spoke to her without raising her voice, not even once. By week two my daughter was asking, "can we go see Shannon?" and on the weekends she would ask "can we go swimming?" I really do appreciate Shannon for giving my daughter the gift of swim and helping, to nurturing her love for the water. My only regret is that I didn't go to SwimKids of Georgia sooner.
Michelle Wright, Atlanta
