Nishuane students take to their feet and wheels on Bike and Walk to School Day. See more images from Nishuane, Renaissance and Watchung at the end of the article.
It was a perfect fall forecast on Wed., Oct. 5 for Montclair students and their families to celebrate International Walk to School Day as they traveled on foot, bikes, scooters, skateboards and busses.
Families from Nishuane gathered in Nishuane Park then made the trek up the street to school while groups of Watchung families met at several locations around town including Brookdale Park before converging together at the Watchung field where they were met with water bottles and healthy snacks to start the morning off.
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.