Congratulations to all who helped to make Bike and Roll to School Day (BR2SD) a huge success. Whether you celebrated on May 8 or another day, we are grateful for your participation in highlighting the importance of safe, active travel.
The event is important because it offers a chance for the community to take notice of the challenges students face on the school commute. The event is also a reminder of the important work we can do together to remove barriers students face when walking, biking, and rolling to school. Most importantly, the event offers an opportunity for communities to celebrate the joy biking and rolling brings to students, neighborhoods, and schools! The wide variety of BR2SD activities that take place across Michigan is inspiring. For example, special remote drop sites for cars and biking school buses or bike trains to make for a fun, social event. At this writing, our registration numbers indicate over 31,500 students from across Michigan participated in local registered events at over 140 schools. This event is a highlight for our staff because we get to leave the office and join in on the fun, and share our reflections with all of you after the official event day.
Colleen Synk, Senior Operations and Evaluation Coordinator
Burns Park Elementary, Ann Arbor
“Experiencing Bike and Roll to School Day events firsthand is inspiring, it was a joy meeting the Burns Park Elementary community. Events like Bike and Roll to School Day illustrate how being active on the school commute can unite neighborhoods and bring people together. Burns Park is a great example of this. They put together a great multifaceted event with parents directing students across intersections, the coordination of bus services to drop bused students off at a remote drop so they could participate by working in to school, and support from Common Cycle Bike Co-op doing minor bike repairs for students, families and staff. These events give everyone the opportunity to see how Safe Routes to School programming can facilitate and help improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and roll to school beyond the event.”
Erin Paskus, Program Coordinator
Bennett Woods Elementary, Okemos
“Bennett Woods Elementary School celebrated Bike and Roll to School Day in style, complete with a police escort and a balloon arch awaiting participating students at the school entrance. Students and families met at 242 Community Church to walk, bike, roll, and skate to school together. Buses were also routed to the church so that students who regularly take the bus to school could participate in the event.
As students arrived through the balloon arch, they were met with applause as well as a special bike-shaped token to commemorate the day. The event was a success and tied in perfectly with Bennet Woods Elementary Schools’ strong tradition of celebrating and encouraging active transportation.
Adam Jenks, Senior Contracts and Data Coordinator
Detroit Public Schools Community District, Detroit
“Bike and Roll to School was in full force on the eastside of Detroit as JE Clark Preparatory Academy, Hamilton Elementary-Middle School, Ronald Brown Academy all coordinated a joint event to celebrate the day. The City of Detroit Health Department, Free Bikes for Kids, Detroit Public School Community District Police Department, and LANE Bangerz Bike Club also came out and joined the event to show their support for active transportation. Students were guided by volunteers as they made their way to school. For an additional ride, participants from all three schools combined to ride to Chandler Park.
Participating students received helmets, bike locks, and bike lights. A handful of bikes were repaired and tuned up to make it easier for the students to participate. The event highlighted the strong bike community in the city of Detroit and demonstrated that active transportation is achievable for students across all grade levels. Detroit continues to lead the way in awesome BR2SD events!”
If you have yet to host a Bike and Roll to School Day event this month and need assistance with planning or have any questions about how to plan the event, contact Erin Paskus for assistance. Our next event is Walk and Roll to School Day on October 2. We hope you’ll help us make this event a success too. Registration will open August 5.