A Trap Club was officially approved by the Board of Education to begin at Fredonia High School this spring.

“This was not something the district or the board thought about lightly. Safety remains an ongoing priority in all of this,” said Fredonia Superintendent Brad Zilliox.

Jerry Kinney gave a presentation to the Board of Education in December about the desire and interest behind starting the program. Fredonia unanimously approved the program and appointed Kinney — an environmental conservation officer for more than two decades – as one of the three club advisors.

Fredonia varsity girls soccer head coach Dan Tomaszewski was also approved as an adviser, along with Brandon Mead, a teacher at BOCES in the conservation program.

A trap team is a group of competitive shooters who aim at airborne targets — called “Birdies” — with points awarded for hitting the target. Trap shooting is a co-ed activity, in which students involved must be at least 12 years of age. Students are required to take a firearms safety course before they are eligible to compete.

According to Kinney’s proposal to the Board of Education, students and their families are responsible for transportation of the participants and their firearms. Kinney will assist with storage of equipment.

Fredonia will begin a nine-week spring season in March. Kinney hopes to raise funds to cover the club’s expenses at no cost to the district.

According to Kinney, there are over 130 trap teams across New York state, including Gowanda and Forestville, where Kinney’s son is a member.

Prior to Kinney’s presentation to the Board of Education at a previous meeting, former Fredonia Principal Andy Ludwig said, “I think Trap Club is a great opportunity to get a certain segment of a population that isn’t there anymore. We don’t have as many hunters and gun enthusiasts. You want kids, young people, to learn proper use of firearms from fine people like Jerry Kinney.”