 Eight
area schools celebrate International Walk
to School Week October 2-6
Chittenden
County, VT – Eight local elementary
schools will be joining schools from around
the world to celebrate International Walk
to School Week during October 2-6, 2006.
Approximately
800 students from 8 local elementary schools
will be walking to school along with parents,
teachers and community leaders. Walk to
School activities seek to get youth active,
improve traffic safety and reduce congestion
around schools.
Supervised
groups of children will walk and bike to
the eight schools during the week. Governor
Douglas will join Westford students on Tuesday,
October 3. He will meet families on the
town common at 7:15am and lead the “walking
school bus” to the school. Prizes
will be handed out to participating students
at every school. Specific activities include:
- Flynn Elementary School,
Burlington: 8 walking school buses will
pickup students all five days
- CP Smith Elementary School,
Burlington: Walking school buses will
pickup children all 5 days and Shawna
Lidsky, Channel 3 Sportscaster, will punch
“frequent walker” cards on
Wednesday
- Edmunds Elementary School,
Burlington: 5 walking school buses will
pick up students on Wednesday
- Hinesburg Community School,
Hinesburg: Walking school buses will depart
the Post Office at 7:35am all five days
with town leaders joining the Wednesday
walk
- Jericho Elementary School,
Jericho: 3 walking school buses will meet
school buses at collection points, students
have written a cheer
- JFK Elementary School,
Winooski: “I Walk Parade”
up Main Street with school mascots and
staff and end with breakfast at school
on Wednesday
- Shelburne Elementary School,
Shelburne: Students will meet at the Town
Green at 7:30 on Wednesday and walk to
school
- Westford Elementary School,
Westford: Governor Douglas will walk with
the students from the town common on Tuesday
at 7:15am
In
the U.S., International Walk to School Week
is expected to include 5,000 schools from
all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will
join children and adults in 40 countries
around the world.
Walk
to School events work to create safer routes
for walking and bicycling and emphasize
the importance of issues such as increasing
physical activity among children, pedestrian
safety, traffic congestion, concern for
the environment and building connections
between families, schools and the broader
community.
Chittenden
County activities are being organized by
Local Motion. Other partners include the
Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning
Organization and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Statewide, more than 30 schools are involved
in the Vermont Safe Routes To School initiative.
More about International Walk to School
Day
 Walk
to School Day was established in the United
States in 1997 by the Partnership for
a Walkable America. Canada and Great Britain
already had walk to school programs in
place. In 2000, these three countries
joined together to create International
Walk to School Day.- In May 2006, the National
Center for Safe Routes to School was established
to assist communities in enabling and
encouraging children to safely walk and
bike to school.
- Walk to School Day
began as a simple idea – children
and parents, school and local officials
walking to school together on a designated
day. It is an energizing event, reminding
everyone of the simple joy of walking
to school, the health benefits of regular
daily activity, and the need for safe
places to walk and bike. Schools focus
on health, safety, physical activity and
concern for the environment.
- Organizations supporting International
Walk to School Day in the U.S. include
America Walks, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the Federal Highway
Administration, the Institute of Transportation
Engineers, the National Center for Bicycling
and Walking, the National Center for Safe
Routes to School, the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids
Worldwide, and the Safe Routes to School
National Partnership.
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