This is the July issue
of the Marin Safe Routes to Schools ENewsletter. This newsletter
provides you with monthly updates of the Marin Safe Routes to
Schools program, including highlights of the month.
Spring Contest Bike Giveaway on June 21
There were
smiling faces all around as the winners of the grand prizes from the
Spring Contests picked up their bikes on Saturday, June 21, from 2-5
p.m. at Vallecito School in Terra Linda. Each participating school
gave away an new Marin Bike in a final raffle to those students who
participated in the contest by walking, biking , carpooling or
taking the bus to school. The bikes will be built ahead of time and
awarded to the winning student in the afternoon. For Brendan Corr,
age 7, waiting for his bike the ??anticipation is like Christmas,?
he said. Fina Robert Hein of Miller Creek School had outgrown his
bike two years ago and his parents had been unable to replace it.
Now he had a new bike that fits him. Agil Bassa will be a freshman
at Redwood High School next year and plans to ride his new bike to
school. Gina Vaziri??s daughter, Natalie was giddy with delight at
riding her new bike. Gina, a former team leader from Glenwood, said
the contest really worked at her school. ??A swarm of 5th graders
started biking to school and it became the thing to do as more and
more kids starting joining the pack,? she said. Thirty five
school participated in the contest this year, setting a record of an
all time high of schools holding the contest. The bikes were
provided at cost by Marin Bikes and paid for by a grant from Kaiser
Permanente.
Drake
Teens Ride to the Movies
On Wednesday,
May 7 Safe Routes to Schools staff assisted 125 students and four
teachers from the ROCK (Revolution of Core Knowledge) program at Sir
Francis Drake High School on a bicycle-powered field trip to the
Rafael Film Center to see
Persepolis.
Safe Routes conducted an educational seminar for all the students on
safe bicycling skills prior to the event. The large group then
divided into four small packs of riders ?� each accompanied by
adult chaperones ?� to lessen the impact on traffic. San Anselmo
and San Rafael Police Departments helped plan the safest route, and
provided staff to navigate the groups through tricky intersections.
Noah Barry, owner of Broken Drum restaurant, provided parking for
the bikes.
The students were genuinely excited about biking and even the
children on their heavy beach cruisers handled the ride beautifully.
Teachers of the ROCK program hope to repeat the experience for
future trips. Field trips such as this one could serve as a
blueprint for future school outings inside the 4-mile radius of a
typical automobile trip. For information on bicycle field trips for
your school, contact Francis Barbour at
frances@marinike.org.
(Photo: Drake Students ride to the movies.)
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Bike
Bell Lane in Tam Valley
Congratulations to the Safe Routes team at Tam Valley elementary
school who successfully encouraged more bicycling on Bell Lane by
working with the community to temporarily eliminate on-street
parking to provide a safe area for bicycling. They showed that
parking could be suspended during the morning drop-off on Bell Lane,
the entrance way to the school, in order to provide more room for
children biking to school. A strong SR2S team, using the added
incentive of the Pollution Punch Card contest, greatly increased the
number of children walking and biking to school. The neighborhood
community voluntarily kept the parking lanes clear and the ST2S team
arranged for a remote drop-off for parents at the community center
to further encourage cars to keep Bell Lane free of parked cars..
Many kids walked, biked, and carpooled to school, while those that
drove parked elsewhere. . As a result of this successful event, the
county will post no parking signs on Bell Lane between 7:30 and 8:30
am to ensure there is room for kids to continue biking safely to
school. It shows that team work and neighborhood involvement can pay
off.
(Photo: Tam Valley celebrate the success of their Safe Routes to
Schools Program and thank Principal Gail van Adelsberg.)
Back to the top
Meet
the Juice Peddler
Safe Routes
to Schools purchased a Juice Peddler, a bicycle blender that made
the rounds at middle and high schools this spring. The blender is
attached to the back of a regular bicycle that is then put on a
stand while students blend their own juices. The Juice Peddler was a
big hit wherever it went. Kids loved taking turns using their own
power to great blended juices. It??s a great way to promote the
benefits of physical activity and good nutrition together. Further,
it sends a message to teens that biking is cool and not just for
little kids. Look for the Juice Peddler at the County Fair at the
Fun Fest booths.
(Photo: White Hill Students await their smoothies created by the
Bike Blender.)
Hall
Middle School Students Educate Peers
To educate
their peers on the virtues of walking and biking to school, six
students from Hall Middle School??s Leadership program helped
create a Safe Routes assembly, planning and presenting the entire
assembly themselves. They then held a raffle for their Pollution
Punchcard contest. The students also created questions based on the
assembly and offered other students small prizes if they knew the
answers. Hall students were also treated to a lunch-time activity
with the Juice Peddler run by the leadership students students as
another way to promote walking and biking to school.
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Sustainability Week at Redwood High
As their
contribution to Bicycle Commute Week, Redwood High School students
held a ??sustainability week? from May 12 through 16. About 100
students biked to school on Bike to School Day (Tuesday, May 15),
with about 50 students biking each day of the week. Safe Routes
interns held a workshop on the carpool program to encourage students
and their parents to form carpools for everyday use. Other students
participated in a panel discussion on sustainable transportation
joining a representative from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and
Next Generation presenting on Bio-Diesel. During lunch, students
were treated to creating their own juices using the Juice Peddler
(see above article).
Back to the top
Bike and Walk Safe this Summer
Safe Routes
to Schools wishes all of you a wonderful summer with lots of walking
and biking. Explore the bike paths and trails in your community and
remember to bike safe, wear your helmet, and stop at every edge
before you cross the street. |
