McKinley School, Norma Coombs Elementary School and Polytechnic School in Pasadena will join schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.
Approximately 100 students from McKinley School, Norma Coombs Elementary School and Polytechnic School will be walking to school Wednesday along with parents, teachers and community leaders.
For McKinley School, the event will begin at 7:45 am with kids, parents and community leaders walking from the Shoppers Lane Parking lot, north of San Pasqual Street. Walkers will arrive at the school at approximately 8:05am. At the school, students will arrive at a resource fair and assembly that includes Zumba, cheerleaders and other activities.
Polytechnic School is encouraging students and adults in all grade levels to walk to school that day, either from home or from the Shoppers Lane parking lot. Plans include walking buses, crosswalk safety monitors, and prizes. Poly sees this day as an opportunity for its community to support the environment and heart-friendly commuting and to energize interest in changing routine habits. Poly will extend this invitation to celebrate Walk To School Day to include bikers and other alternate commuters.
Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.
The event at McKinley School is being organized by the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) with assistance from the Pasadena Department of Transportation. This event is a component of the City’s Suggested Routes to School Program, which includes classroom education to students through the Pasadena Safe School Zones program, the development of Suggested Routes to School Maps, and other engineering and enforcement activities to enhance pedestrian safety for school aged children.
The Pasadena Transportation Department urges motorists to drive safely and always be aware of pedestrian traffic in school zones.
For additional information, please visit these websites:
Walk to School Day in the USA – www.walkbiketoschool.org
National Center for Safe Routes to School – www.saferoutesinfo.org
About International Walk to School Day
• Walk to School Day was established in the United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. Canada and Great Britain already had walk to school programs in place. In 2000, these three countries joined together to create International Walk to School Day.
• In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school.
• The National Center for Safe Routes to School serves as the national coordinating agency for Walk to School and Bike to School activities in the United States.
• Walk to School Day began as a simple idea – children and parents, school and local officials walking to school together on a designated day. It is an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy of walking to school, the health benefits of regular daily activity, and the need for safe places to walk and bike. Schools focus on health, safety, physical activity and concern for the environment.
• Organizations supporting International Walk to School Day in the United States include America Walks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highway Administration, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
