Bike and Pedestrian Education Get the Wheels Moving at Valley

As the trail going past the Valley school campus nears completion, the school wellness team and administration are taking steps to make sure students are prepared to use this new resource safety.

On October 27, K-6th grade students participated in a bike and pedestrian education class during gym class hosted by Nick Sobocinski from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition (IBC) and Elizabeth Makarewicz  and Heidi Skildum from the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative (FFI). 

"It takes a school and community partnership to put in the right infrastructure to make walking and biking to school both safe and accessible by all," says Skildum, FFI Safe Routes to School Liaison.  "Valley of Elgin is fortunate to have a trail that connects their school to nearby communities and even luckier to have school leadership that makes bike and pedestrian safety a priority!"

The educators taught age-appropriate lessons on visibility, rules of the road and trail etiquette.  The younger students practiced their knowledge on road signs and hand signals while the older students learned how to fit a helmet correctly and check the air, brakes and chain on their bicycle before riding.  Older students competed in a mini-bike relay race to test their bicycling skills as well as experience the joy of riding.  Fifty free helmets were given away to students in need while others earned stickers, magnets and erasers after each session.

Holly Mohs, Valley of Elgin's PE teacher, really appreciated the day's lessons.  "It was a great day and I am so glad [the IBC and FFI] were able to come and help us out."

This past year, the Fayette County Trails Committee and the Turkey River Recreational Corridor, with assistance from Fayette County Conservation Board and Northeast Iowa RC&D, secured funding for a new trail that connects Valley of Elgin Community School District with two nearby communities, Elgin and Clermont. 

Bike and pedestrian education is an effort supported by Iowa's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.   SRTS programs are sustained efforts by families, other community members and leaders, schools and local, state and federal governments to enable and encourage children to safely walk or bicycle to school. Walking and biking to and after school offers an opportunity for children to get physical activity as part of their daily routine.

Many ingredients go into raising healthy kids.  Two of the most important are healthy, local food and physical activity. Thanks to intentional collaboration between the IBC, FFI, Valley of Elgin school wellness team and community trail partnerships, it is even easier for youth and families to join the fun! 

Tag: activeliving schoolwellness