Proud students hand over fruit of bike project

IT WAS a heartwarming sight at Wilsonton State High School when a group of Year 9 students proudly handed over refurbished bikes to Year 6 students from across the city.

The handover represented the culmination of the Bike Build Program, which involved the University of Southern Queensland, Queensland Police Service, Toowoomba Regional Council and Wilsonton State High working together to provide bicycles for kids who had trouble accessing their own.

Associate Professor Andrew Hickey was one of the driving forces behind the project after becoming interested in studying children learning through non-traditional methods.

This year the program won a $50,000 Horizon research grant to look at alternative learning programs.

Wilsonton High’s youth support co-ordinator Shane Adshead said the program had proven very successful, even winning an award last year.

“The benefit we have seen with kids involved with a hands-on approach is it changes the game,” he said.

“They’re active and they interested and it has been a very good opportunity for us to be able to host it.”

QPS donated the old bikes, which the Year 9 students fixed up with the help of their Year 6 mentees.

Toowoomba Regional Council’s Youth Connect team provided them all with new helmets.

Student Sean Carroll said he had a wonderful time working on the project and really valued the opportunity to work with the younger students on such an exciting project.

❝ They’re active and they interested and it has been a very good opportunity. — Shane Adshead

PHOTO: BEV LACEY PROUD DAY: Celebrating the completion of the Bike Build program are (front, from left) Snr Const Catherine Grutt, Year 9 student Sean Carroll and Year 6 student Benjamin Leahy with (back, from left) Shanayah Combo, Christa Hall, Sean Dalley, Sophie...