CORALVILLE, IOWA (May 8, 2023) — Are you ready for some good news? Walk Bike Roll Day was a huge success this year, and we have the numbers to prove it. A record-breaking 23 schools across Iowa participated in this nationwide event, promoting active transportation and healthier, more sustainable communities.
From Seargent Buff to New Sharon to Decorah, students, parents, and teachers came together to walk, bike, or roll to school on May 3, 2023. The event brought a sense of community and school spirit and encouraged healthy and sustainable habits among our youth. With each step or pedal, participants showed their commitment to reducing traffic congestion, pollution, and our carbon footprint.
Events ranged from just some families to school-wide events with dozens of kids and one school having over seventy students participating! Some highlights from schools below:
Clarke Community Elementary in Osceola had music, sidewalk chalk, and the mayor passing out suckers! Teachers greeted the kids coming into school and even some whole families biked together. Some of the staff members got in on the fun and biked to school as well.
Erskine Elementary in Cedar Rapids isn’t limiting the fun to one day in May, they are doing Walk Bike Roll Day every Wednesday this month. The repetition and student led activities should help create some lifelong habits in the youth.
In Lisbon, not every student lives in town and has to commute on part of the highway to get to school. But that didn’t stop them. A group of twenty met up at the city park and all walked over together. Event organizer Kelly said the bike rack was overflowing with parked bicycles.
Poyner Elementary in Evansdale had some great giveaways and a raffle for participating students through Project Jack — Pay it Forward REALTOR® Foundation of Iowa and INRCOG. With lots of positive comments for arrival and dismissal, many students were talking about doing it again tomorrow. About one-third of the school participated.
Four Schools registered in Iowa City. Archibald Alexander made pins, gave away stickers, and had some fun over the speaker announcements. Over seventy students participated! Some teachers even biked to school as role models. And some parents got some exercise in too walking to school with their kids.
Afraid you missed out on the fun? There is still time to plan an event. May is bike month overall. If you want to plan and implement an event just register at walkbiketoschool.org/registration. We’ll be happy to help you plan and promote your special day.
See which schools participated on this map. Thank you to all 23 schools that participated and all the event organizers that registered their schools. We could not have done it without you! For more information about safe routes to schools visit iowasaferoutes.org or email matt@iowabike.org on how to promote safe routes for your school.
