Students urged to walk, cycle to school

Whether it’s through walking, biking, or even roller blading, kids and their families are encouraged to find ways to get moving through a new Saskatoon Public Schools campaign.

“We know that the opportunity to exercise daily has a multitude of benefits that help our students in their learning in the classroom, when it comes to engagement, concentration, and just a whole whack of other things,” said Brad Smith, chair of the active transportation committee, and vice-principal at Mount Royal Collegiate.

“The intent of this initiative is to better promote getting our students and families moving, using active transportation and exploring active transportation as a way to get to and from school.”

To start the campaign, in the spring, more than 2,000 families took part in a survey, answering questions about how kids get to school and why they travel that way. According to Smith, the survey determined the most common way to get to school was by parents dropping their kids off.

The Move to Grow active transportation campaign will get kids involved at school through education about various types of active transportation, and incentives like bookmarks or stickers for kids who ride their bikes to school.

“We want this campaign to grow, and we want to make positive lifestyle changes for our students and their families,” Smith said.

“I think the education piece is going to be important for us, things like helping schools come up with maps of their communities and working with kids to see what route they can take to school, and where crosswalks are.”

The campaign will continue into the winter, teaching kids to properly bundle up for walking to school, and how to stay safe in the cold.

Smith said although it’s easy to fall back on the “it’s too cold” excuse, the campaign wants to help educate people that no matter the time of year, they can still be active outside. One of the campaign’s goals is to focus on personal safety and keeping possessions secure. Once each month, the campaign will also have a small section in school newsletters, discussing the benefits of getting active on the way to school, not just for students, but also for the environment.

“It’s not just the physical exercise, there’s so much more,” Smith said. “We’re really going to focus on making students, families, parents and the greater community understand what kind of steps need to be in place so everybody’s safe on their way to school.”

KAYLE NEIS Brad Smith, chair of the active transportation committee with Saskatoon Public Schools, notes that daily exercise has a host of benefits for young learners. The board is encouraging students to make their way to class under their own power rather than getting a lift from their parents.