Montclair students and their families celebrated International Walk to School Day on Wed., Oct. 4. They traveled on foot, bikes, scooters, skateboards and busses and even did some early morning exercises.
Here’s just a glimpse of a few schools that participated.
Students from Edgemont enjoyed a chaperoned walk around Edgemont Park, then had the opportunity to indulge in healthy organic veggies and water, and sample smoothies from a local juice bar. Students signed a banner and got stickers for participating.
Hillside students not only walked to school, they were given the opportunity to do an early morning workout to get the blood flowing before heading to class.
The Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago in 1997, modeled after the United Kingdom’s walk to school events, and communities around the United States have been celebrating Walk to School Day ever since. The event was established as “International” in 2000, when Canada and the U.K. joined with the U.S. to celebrate. Communities and schools use this day as the first step to change community culture and to create options for getting around that are more inviting for everyone, both young and old. Some reasons to support walking and bicycling to school:
- It’s fun — walking and bicycling bring a sense of joy and independence;
- It encourages healthier habits — the trip to school is a chance for children (and adults) to get the physical activity they need;
- It promotes a cleaner environment — Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can reduce congestion and air-polluting emissions;
It promotes safety and supports neighborhood connections.