SUCCESS STORIES
2006 INTERNATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY REPORT
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington received
Clif Z Bars through the
"Snacks on Us" program for distribution to schools participating in International Walk to School Day (WTSD),
October 4, 2006. The Bicycle Alliance distributed the bars to schools throughout Washington State.
The following describes what schools received the bars, their events, and includes photos.
Several schools will be distributing bars at events throughout October.
Western Washington
Laurelhurst Elementary (Seattle) had approximately 150 students participate, in addition to family members. Two stations were staffed by a friendly greeter offering hot drinks healthy snacks, a walk to school sign and a bookmark promoting walking to school and the z-bar for their backpacks on the way home.
Waldorf School (Seattle) participation was over 100 students and dozens of parents participated in WTSD. Approximately 60% of the student body was involved.
Some students who live close by walked directly from home to school while others biked with their parents up to 10 miles to school. Carpoolers joined walking trains. Students that participated received an energy bar and sticker. The bike racks were overflowing with 33 bicycles parked by students, faculty and staff who participated enthusiastically in the event.
At Maple, Emerson and Wing Luke Elementary Schools (Seattle) there was 85% student participation due to all the buses either dropping students off at least 3 blocks away or all bus riders walking 4 blocks once they arrived at the school.
Dearborn Park Elementary (Seattle) had a 35 % participation rate.
Woodlands Elementary (Kitsap County) provided bars to 350 students and also held an assembly featuring Willie Weir. Nearly 150 walked to school on WTSD.
Lincoln Elementary (Mt. Vernon) will be holding four Walking Wednesdays in October. Up to 125 kids plus parents and volunteers have expressed an interest in participating.
Larrabee Elementary (Bellingham). October 4th was the first in the Walk to School campaign that will continue every Wednesday. Over 80 walkers/bikers out of a total of 206 students participated on WTSD. They received Clif Bars as they arrived to school.
Wildwood Elementary (Puyallup) held their first ever event. 150+ walkers
Participated as did Tacoma Pierce County Health Dept., FedEx, Safe Kids
Pierce County and the Puyallup Police Dept.
Washington-Hoyt Elementary (Tacoma) had 150+ walkers, with great support from the Tacoma Police Department, Safeway, and the Wilcox Family Farm.
Sherman Elementary (Tacoma) first-time event.
Whittier Elementary (Fircrest) with 200 walkers and support from Fircrest Police, and local businesses.
Suquamish Elementary (Suquamish) provided bars to all the nearly 500 students. Two hundred students walked to school on WTSD and eight bicycled. The next day found 225 walkers and 8 bicyclists. Typically 20 kids walk and none bike. The WTSD event included an assembly featuring Willie Weir, who travels the world by bicycle.
Central Washington
Kenroy Elementary (E. Wenatchee). Nearly 350 students (out of 400 total) and their families, school administrators and staff, and community members participated in Kenroy's activities.
Grant Elementary (E. Wenatchee). Approximately 150 Grant Elementary students, staff, and families participated in the Walk to School Day event. The PE teacher shared health and safety tips and read morning announcements pertaining to walking/biking to school.
Lewis and Clark Elementary (Wenatchee) had a very successful first time event, with nearly 350 students, family members, school staff and community members participating. A pre-assembly was held prior to the event, focusing on safety. Morning announcements regarding health and safety were read in both English and Spanish. Students actively participated in making signs for the walk.
Larson Heights and Grant Elementary (Moses Lake) are holding events during October. The last event will be held on October 27th to celebrate the opening of a new section of the Activity Trail that was funded by a Safe Routes to School Grant awarded by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Eastern Washington
Bemiss Elementary (Spokane) had about 400 students, the entire school staff, and 250
parents participate. The media videoed the students walking. Other key visitors were: Eastern Washington University Mascot, Swoop; Gonzaga University Mascot, Spike; FedEx; Fred Meyer Bear; Pedestrian Bee; Old Country Buffet Bee; and the City of Spokane Police provided an escort.
RIDE YOUR BIKE PROJECT
REI funded the
Bicycle Alliance of Washington's "Ride Your Bike Project" awarded in August 2005. Brochures explaining the benefits of biking and walking to school and encouraging children to adopt healthy life styles were provided to each school and distributed to libraries and community centers. The brochures were printed in 4 languages.
The second step was holding assemblies at the schools. The assemblies featured Willie Weir. Below is detail of what was done at each school and the outcomes.
Fairmount Park Elementary School, West Seattle. Brochures were distributed in English, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The assembly was held on May 5th with over 200 students attending from Kindergarten to fifth grade. The students were excited and had positive comments about the assembly. After the assembly there was an increase in the number of students biking to school, wearing helmets, and obeying safety rules.
High Point Elementary School, West Seattle. Brochures were distributed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Approximately 160 students and 30 adults attended the May 19th assembly. On the Monday and Tuesday after the assembly the students remembered the 3 things (Be smart, safe, and seen) they were taught at the assembly that were important when riding a bike. The kids' eyes lit up when asked about the assembly. While a survey was not conducted, it is thought there was an increase in biking to school due to the enthusiasm expressed about the assembly.
Lochburn Middle School, Lakewood. English, Spanish, and Vietnamese brochures were provided. Two assemblies were held on June 14th. Over 250 6th and 8th grade students attended one; over 200 7th graders attended the other. Students commented that Willie was "cool", "funny", and that "It [assembly] was pretty cool."
Other organizations were involved, including the Clover Park Kiwanis Club that provided 6 refurbished bicycles
to children that didn't own bikes. They also received helmets and bike locks from the
Tacoma Pierce County Health Department. The Health Department and Lakewood Fire Department fitted the helmets
and explained the importance of helmet use. REI Adventure Passport fliers and a list of local sources for low-cost, fitted helmets were also provided.
Mini Grants
In 2005, the Bicycle Alliance awarded 12 mini grants with funding provided by the
Washington State Department of Health.
Recipients were the M.L. King, Asa Mercer, and Aki Kurose schools in Seattle, the Auburn School District,
Samish and Quinault Indians schools, and Moses Lake and Buckley schools.
The grant awards ranged from $900 to $6,000. About half as many applications could not be funded,
as the money was already committed.
The grant-funded programs and projects included:
| Bike rides |
|
Designing safe biking/walking routes |
| Walk to school days |
|
Forming committees/meeting |
| Assemblies |
|
Teaching bike safety/riding skills |
| Preparing education curriculum |
|
Preparing/distributing safety/promotional materials |
| Holding health fairs |
|
Purchasing/distributing incentives |
| Media campaigns |
|
Applying for additional funding |
| Community promotion/outreach |
|
Attending training opportunities |
| Gathering/analyzing baseline data |
|
Conducting surveys/analyzing data |
- Quinault Tribe's first Bike/Walk to School Day had over 91 students participate. Seventy-one students participated in a 3-month "Frequent Walker Program."
- M.L. King Elementary held 2 weeks of bike skills training with 130 students.
- Approximately 30 M.L. King Elementary students conducted a walking audit.
- Willie Weir spoke to approximately 2,270 students at 5 elementary school assemblies in Moses Lake. He also spoke at assemblies in other schools.
- Over 60 people, more than half middle school students, participated in a 12-mile bike ride in Auburn. Bike Alliance staff and volunteers also participated.
- Auburn Middle School held 3 bike to school Fridays.
- Over 140 students participated in Walk to School Day at Aki Kurose Middle School.
- Moses Lake got a commitment of at least $25,000 from County officials for trails.
- Nearly 500 students participated in a Moses Lake student travel mode survey.
- Over 100 students received free bicycle helmets.
- Approximately 30 bicycles were purchased for schools and students.
The projects were very well received and most of the schools expressed interest in continuing
the programs next year. They asked the Bicycle Alliance about future funding opportunities
and anticipate researching and applying for funding to continue and expand existing programs
and projects, and begin new ones.
Support among school and community leaders was very high
and the students were very enthusiastic. Many students discovered local bike routes they
did not know existed. Many schools want to incorporate bike riding skills and lessons into their curriculum.
The most common lessons learned are that the students crave such programs, love to ride their bikes,
and wonder why such opportunities aren't readily available.
See our Mini Grant Detail Page for more detailed
information about these Minigrants (grantee, contacts, detailed tasks, amount granted).
Role Models for a Healthier Community
In 2005, the Bicycle Alliance worked with 3 Seattle schools on a "Role Models for a Healthier Community" project.
The purpose of the
King County STEPS grant funded project was to promote bicycling and walking,
particularly to school, as a way to encourage a healthy, physically active lifestyle and reduce asthma,
diabetes, and obesity. The schools were White Center Heights Elementary, John Muir Elementary,
and Madrona K-8. One child from each school having either asthma or diabetes served as a spokesperson.
A brochure was produced with the message that bicycling and walking is good for your health, fun, and a good
way to get to school and around your neighborhood. The brochures were distributed to parents and students
and the posters with their respective "poster child" was placed in schools and other locations where they
would most effectively reach the target audience. The materials were printed in English, Somali, Vietnamese
and Spanish. .
Assemblies, featuring Mr. Willie Weir a noted world traveler by bicycle, and an experienced and humorous speaker,
were held at the schools. Madrona had about 300 kids attend the assembly, Muir about 275 and White Center
Heights about 450. The majority of the kids raised their hands in the assembly when asked who owned a bike.
Half of the Madrona and Muir students responded that they have helmets and wear them - only about a third or
less at White Center Heights. But fewer than 10 kids per school bike to school as they get bussed in from
several miles away. The Cascade Bicycle Club
and Bike Works participated by giving
brief presentations on helmet safety and bike repair.
Other Successful Programs
The "Walking School Bus" pilot project in Seattle's Central District was coordinated by
Feet First. Read the articles about
this great program in the
Seattle Times
and Seattle P-I.
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