Students in the 8 Portland Safe Routes to School pilot programs kicked off Valentine’s Day by embracing the cold front and participating in the first annual Valentine’s Day Walk and Bike to School event.
Their motivation: It’s Good For Your Heart…and of course the Blazers tickets we raffled off. After walking and biking, forty lucky students won the chance to attend the Blazers vs. Lakers game.
Students traveled in groups with friends, family members and parent volunteers. A walking “school bus� arrived in style at Lewis Elementary, and a biking “school bus� traveled to Gilbert Park Elementary down the Spring Water Corridor. Participants at Bridlemile Elementary, in the Southwest hills, showed their dedication by braving the light snow.
A first grader at Gilbert Park approached me after the event. She was upset because she walks to school everyday with her baby sitter (who lives closer to the school than her family does). She didn’t get to walk to school today, because her babysitter was sick. Her request: “Can I please have a sticker because I really do walk to school every day?�
Our response: of course! And a big cheer to all of those students and adults who walk or bike to school daily!
For some of the schools this was a kick off event for the programs Walk and Bike the Lewis and Clark Trail and Walk and Bike Across America, in which students calculate their miles and virtually travel to destinations across the country, learning important mathematical, geographical, and historical information along the way.
Congratulations, and thank you, to all students, parents, teachers, principals, and volunteers who made this first annual event a success!
