Winooski School District walks, bikes and rolls to school
Students and families of Winooski School District walked, biked, and rolled to school in celebration of national Walk to School Day. Image courtesy of Winooski School District.
This past Wednesday, with fanfare and foliage, the Winooski School District walked, biked, and rolled to school.
The event was part of an annual campaign involving thousands of schools across the U.S. who all made their way to school on foot this past October 4th. This year, walkbiketoschool.org reported the representation of 46 states across over 2,500 registered events.
The organization is an offshoot of The National Center for Safe Routes to School, a nonprofit committed to “empowering communities to make active trips to school a safe, appealing, preferred choice for families” according to their website. What began as a one-off walking event in 1997 has grown each year to include more school districts and modes of transportation, like biking, scootering, and rolling.
Early Wednesday morning, students and families gathered in the Walgreens parking lot on Mainstreet where faculty and guardians guided the student body along sidewalks and street crossings the third of a mile to the Normand Street campus.
Winooski School District’s music students leading the walk to school in marching band fashion. Image courtesy of Winooski School District
Winooski School District Wellness Coordinator Patrice Lumumba reported a strong turnout, “just like every other year. Our district takes this even more seriously and we promote it well and make sure that our staff and students are there and ready to walk” she said in a statement via email.
As for the best part? Lumumba said in addition to seeing parents involved and excited to drop off their kids, there was joy in “seeing our music class who comes out every year and plays drums and other instruments to lead the walk to school.”
