Emmett Schools hold first ever Walk to School Day events
Students in Emmett turned out in large numbers to participate in Walk to School Day.
Emmett schools held very successful Walk to School Day events. The day started off with almost 75 students and many staff members from Emmett Middle School walking from two predesignated sites. They were met by Idaho Senator Steven Thayn, Emmett Mayor Gordon Petrie, the school principal and Elaine Clegg of Idaho Smart Growth. The kids were very excited to receive giveaways for participating such as bike lights and other items that promote walking and biking safety.
Almost all of the approximately 300 students at Kenneth J. Carberry Elementary School joined the Walk to School Day celebration! Parents were asked to drop their kids off a quarter of a mile away from school; buses also delivered children to the same site. Mayor Petrie (who walked almost 1.5 million steps in the month of October to win the High Five! Mayor’s School Walking Challenge), police officers, lots of parents, and Elaine Clegg joined the students on their walk. Also participating was a Carberry staff member who leads a walking school bus home from school; 25-50 students regularly participate in this activity.
This was the first time these Emmett schools participated in a Walk/Bike to School Day event. Idaho Smart Growth, school representatives and Mayor Petrie assessed walking and biking conditions at both schools during the Walk to School Day events. The schools are now working with the City to make improvements.
Forty-one schools throughout the state registered to hold events. Participating communities included American Falls, Ammon, Boise, Bonners Ferry, Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Eagle, Emmett, Gooding, Idaho Falls, Iona, Kootenai, Kuna, Meridian, Moscow, Nampa, Sandpoint and Twin Falls. Last year there were 38 Walk to School Day events in Idaho.
International Walk to School Day is a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day. 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. They also build connections between families, schools and the broader community. Learn more here.
