Students and their families will participate in the National Walk & Roll to School event Oct. 7, which ends at The Sanibel School. PHOTO PROVIED\n<\/p>\n
Young bikers and walkers, along with their families, will take to the multi-use paths during the National Walk & Roll to School event next week from the Rosalita\u2019s and Bailey\u2019s parking lot to The Sanibel School campus. <\/p>\n
The National Center for Safe Routes to School launched the Vision Zero for Youth initiative in 2016 to link walk, bike and roll to school day events with both elected officials and communities to promote safe walking and rolling to school, and eliminating fatal and serious traffic crashes from occurring. <\/p>\n
Sanibel School Fund President Ellen Viciguerra said the school began participating in the celebration a few years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sanibel School Fund is really working a lot on our community partnerships this year,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are letting people know what we are doing and developing those partnerships in areas that we haven\u2019t before.\u201d <\/p>\n
The National Walk & Roll to School is the first event of the school year where those community partnerships have taken shape. <\/p>\n
The week before the celebration, the Florida Department of Transportation is scheduled to visit the school to teach the students about bike safety. Finnimore\u2019s has also become a community partner, as they assist with volunteers and help kids off of their bikes. <\/p>\n
Viciguerra said they have partnered with Bailey\u2019s and Rosalita\u2019s for their staging area, and the Sanibel Bike Club will sponsor a flare station at the location.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is dark when we start \u2014 having a little light is very helpful,\u201d she said of gathering at 6:45 a.m. <\/p>\n
The Sanibel Bike Club will provide reflective stickers, neon necklaces and help the kids pump up their bike tires, and adjust their seats if needed. <\/p>\n
The Sanibel Police Department will also keep the participants safe along their journey. <\/p>\n
The Sanibel School celebrity bike rider Julie Wappes, the fourth grade teacher, will lead the pack that morning to the school campus. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe has taught for over 30 years at the school. She is going to lead our kids,\u201d Viciguerra said. <\/p>\n
The Sanibel Bike Club will also ride along with the kids and parents. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt 6:55 a.m. the kids will start in route to the school and then along the way \u2018Ding\u2019 Darling is going to have a few people handing out snacks and be the mid point cheerleader,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Once the kids arrive at school, there will be music, and a snack table from The Sanibel School PTA to offer a festive atmosphere before the kids are ushered into school by 7:30 to start their day. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super fun. The kids that do participate, they really love it. It\u2019s a lot of younger kids whose families make it,\u201d Viciguerra said. <\/p>\n
Another community partner, Billy\u2019s Bikes, also offers a hand by transporting the kid\u2019s bikes back to the staging area from The Sanibel School, as well as loaning some bike lights. <\/p>\n
\u201cParents can ride their bikes back, but Billy\u2019s helps transport those back,\u201d she said of the kid\u2019s bikes.<\/p>\n
The celebration typically attracts between 40 to 50 kids and their parents, about a quarter of the school population.<\/p>\n
Viciguerra said it\u2019s all about getting kids moving, and offering education around bike safety. <\/p>\n
We are all \u201cmoving as one unit. It\u2019s such a great community event,\u201d she said. \u201cThese students, as a school community, also join in unison to get to school.\u201d <\/p>\n
Encouragement to ride bikes occurs throughout the year, as the students ride bikes to nearby field trip destinations, thanks to the donation of bikes from Billy\u2019s Bikes. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important to get our kids outside and moving outside of school,\u201d Viciguerra said. <\/p>\n
The partnership with the Sanibel Bike Club is another great opportunity, as they are passionate about biking. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are happy to have them as a partner and to keep the enthusiasm for biking at the school,\u201d she said. \u201cWe work with them to keep our kids moving.\u201d<\/p>\n