District promoting student health by pushing biking
BENTONVILLE — The Bentonville School District is participating in a biking initiative to promote student health and to better understand school infrastructure needs.
“Northwest Arkansas, in general, is all about using those bike trails,” said Christina Hamilton, principal of Willowbrook Elementary School. “They put a lot of money and resources into building those trails up, and so it’s kind of like we’re getting to be a part of it now.”
Walton Family Foundation studies show that cycling was responsible for $137 million in benefits introduced in Northwest Arkansas in 2017, according to the 2018 Economic and Health Benefits of Bicycling in Northwest Arkansas. That figure includes $51 million in economic activity and $86 million in health benefits.
The foundation has invested in cycling over the past decade, including $74 million to help build 163 miles of soft-surface and paved bike trails across the Northwest region.
District schools are helping to further the cause by encouraging students to ride bikes to school in September through the Bike Bentonville Schools campaign, said Leslee Wright, district communications director.
The district has partnered with Runway Group for the initiative, she said.
Runway is a Bentonville-based holding company that makes investments in real estate, outdoor initiatives, hospitality and businesses committed to moving Northwest Arkansas forward, according to the organization’s website.
It’s difficult to determine how many schools are participating in the campaign, Wright said, because there are challenges for having students bike to school.
Traffic congestion and a lack of sidewalks can create barriers for biking, Wright said.
Both are concerns for Willowbrook students, Hamilton said.
The school serves 870 students in grades K-4 and shares some surrounding sidewalks and roadways with
Bright Field Middle School. Bright Field has about 575 fifth- and sixth-graders, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.
The two schools combined have about 130 students who routinely ride bikes to school, Hamilton said.
The sidewalks leading to Willowbrook can be narrow and crowded, and traffic can get heavy as drivers drop off and pick up students, she said.
Also, Hamilton said her school doesn’t have a lot of bike racks. Willowbrook and Bright Field currently share five racks capable of storing no more than seven bikes each. Many students resort to chaining their bikes to a nearby fence or benches, she said.
The school with the most students participating in the campaign will win a $5,000 grant from Runway Group to use however school officials choose, said Krista Cupp, Runway’s communications director. The grant is being funded through the philanthropic support of group co-founders Steuart and Tom Walton, she said.
If her school wins the contests, Hamilton said she plans to buy more bike rack.
That’s even though the school will receive nine racks being donated by Oz Trails to share with Bright Field.
Oz Trails is donating 20 racks to district schools as part of the campaign, Wright said.
Oz Trails was formed in 2016 to showcase the development of multipurpose trails in Northwest Arkansas, according to its website.
Participating school ambassadors are compiling observations about biking infrastructure needs this month to pass on to the Runway Group, Wright said.
“Gathering biking infrastructure insights is part of our ongoing initiative to help support community development and sustainable growth,” Cupp said. “We are in regular communication with city leaders and will share information as it becomes available.”
The city completed a Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan published in the spring, said David Wright, the city’s parks and recreation director. He said the city will appreciate any additional information Runway and the district may contribute.
“All information is helpful,” he said.
Cupp said she hopes the initiative will benefit the city, as well as students’ long-term health.
“There’s nothing better for a child than experiencing the freedom and fun of riding a bike,” Cupp said. “When you combine the physical, mental and social health benefits with a necessary activity of riding to school, you’re teaching children healthy living can be incorporated into their daily lives and it can be fun.”