Schools in Brevard, Orange and Volusia counties will be celebrating International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, Oct. 9.<\/p>\n
The day is set aside to give children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the benefits of walking, according to the International Walk to School website.<\/p>\n
In the United States, walkers began celebrating in 1997 with hopes of creating communities that are safe places to walk. Last year more than 4,000 groups walked in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Center for Safe Routes to School, which coordinates efforts nationwide.<\/p>\n
In Central Florida, the Walking School Bus, a national project that has its local base at the Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½\u2019s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, will participate in the day through its ongoing walking programs at Sybelia Elementary in Maitland, Eagle\u2019s Nest in Orlando\u2019s Metro West and Robert Louis Stevenson School of the Arts on Merritt Island among others.<\/p>\n
Each program has been tailored to meet the school\u2019s needs. Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ students mapped the route, presented the program to parents and helped launch the walking program at Stevenson, for example, while Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ is conducting research about the benefits of walking for the fourth-year program at Sybelia. At Eagle\u2019s Nest, Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ helped volunteers from the non-profit Soldiers to School organization get the program rolling. Parents and community members have responded with volunteers and enthusiasm. Recently, Spirit Elementary in Deltona also joined Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½\u2019s Walking School Bus program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a program that is good for kids and brings communities together,\u201d said Tim Pehlke, the center\u2019s assistant director for the program. \u201cWe\u2019re hitting very important areas \u2013 safety, health and even helping the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Administrators at Stevenson Elementary, a school of choice in Brevard County, were looking for a way to help alleviate potential traffic problems when budget cuts eliminated buses to the school.<\/p>\n
The school sits next to Kelly Park, and Principal Michael Corneau thought he could somehow use that park to help offset traffic while keeping students safe. That\u2019s when he connected with the Walking School Bus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a great opportunity because we hit the challenge on many different levels,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great for kids to get the chance to walk. Parents don\u2019t have to sit in \u2013 shall we say \u2013 a challenging car loop, and with the volunteers we keep the kids safe from point A to point C.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten parent volunteers line a pathway from a drop off point in Kelly Park to the school\u2019s back fields. There, school staff members meet the children and walk them to the main campus. Heavy backpacks, musical instruments and other large items are loaded into a golf cart that is driven to the school so children don\u2019t hurt their backs on the \u00be-mile walk. Local business IAP Worldwide Services donated the cart when its owner heard about the program. The principal hopes to recruit more volunteers from the community as the year unfolds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ students made the presentation to my parent group,\u201d Corneau said. \u201cThen we pitched it before and during registration. We started with about 10 students on day one, and this week we have about 85. The kids love it because they get to hang out with their friends on the walk. The parents love the ease and I like it because I know my kids are safe, getting some exercise and we\u2019re being good neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Lake Sybelia, Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ is helping by monitoring the walking and conducting some research to see the impact it can have on children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a wonderful opportunity for our student to get exercise and get the wiggles out before the school day begins,\u201d said Lake Sybelia Principal and Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ alum Julie Paradise. \u201cWe highly encourage it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lake Sybelia\u00a0 has two routes starting in different neighborhoods. About 15-20 students participate in each route with three to six escorts. One parent usually pulls a little red wagon piled with backpacks so the walkers can proceed unrestricted, Paradise said.<\/p>\n