Mead Hall students participate in National Walk, Bike, or Roll to School Day

Stephanie Hill, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Oct. 17—Third grade students at Mead Hall Episcopal School recently saw the real life application of an assignment they completed.

The students had to write an opinion paper about a topic they were passionate about and supporting the paper with evidence, said Lorie Alkema, a third grade teacher at Mead Hall. The topic that was chosen was to allow the students to participate in National Walk, Bike, or Roll to School Day, which Alkema had seen other school participate in before.

"Students had to find reasons why we should participate," Alkema said. "They came up with ideas about exercise or it helps the environment... so they came up with evidence about why we should participate, wrote their letters, and submitted to the principal (Joanne Morton) and the head of school (Dr. Frank Sawyer) for approval. The students were excited."

Before they took to the road, the students heard a bike safety presentation from Aiken Department of Public Safety Corporal Gina Easler. The presentation included equipment safety, wearing helmets at all times, mechanisms of the bike, including braking, bike maintenance and then road safety. The road safety included hand signals, making sure the intersection is clear and knowing to ride with traffic.

On Oct. 13, 27 third grade students met at the Aiken Prep Campus and either rode a bike, scooter or walked the approximately half a mile to the St. Thaddeus Campus. Alkema said there were 16 students on bikes, three on scooters and the rest walked.

Easler then rode with the kids during their journey, stating they did a two-man formation while on the road. Besides Easler, the students were joined by several parents, Alkema said. One rode a bike, one held up stop signs, some walked with them, and the rest waited for them at St. Thaddeus with water.

"(The kids) loved it. They absolutely loved it," Alkema said. "I think ... they felt like they were a part of something... (and) got to do something no one else was going in school that day and absolutely loved it."

"I wish we could've rode longer," Easler said. "We all had a great time."

According to the National Bike, Walk and Roll to School website, the event started in the United States in 1997 as a one-day event that was trying to build recognition for the need for communities that are walkable. The event went international in 2000 when the United Kingdom and Canada joined.

"The success of Walk & Roll to School Day, as well as continued interest in bicycling to school, created a desire for a national event focused on bicycling to school. This goal became reality in 2012, when the first national Bike & Roll to School Day took place on May 9, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Month," according to the Walk, Bike or Roll to school website.