Cycle of success takes hold in Norman schools
NORMAN — The Norman Rotary Club is using something as simple as a bicycle to take on one of the fundamental challenges standing in the way of reading and math education at a handful of Norman elementary schools.
The club is giving dozens of new bikes to students in exchange for excellent school attendance, and it is paying for the program with the help of an organized bike tour in east Norman and southern Cleveland County on Sept. 30.
Experts tell us that children who do not master the fundamentals of reading and math by the time they leave elementary school struggle to succeed in middle school and high school.
It’s a story we’ve seen too many times. Young people fall behind, lose heart, give up and drop out. In the best-case scenarios, kids persevere and fight for whatever passing grades they can muster. Those who manage to graduate with poor reading and math skills have no hope or interest in education beyond high school.
According to U.S. census figures from 2015, only 24 percent of Oklahoma adults hold college degrees, which means we lag behind most other states and face economic disadvantages because of it.
There are many reasons why children fall behind so early, but at the foundation of it all, there appears to be one startling element. To be successful in school, kids must come to school — every day. For many students, poor attendance is the basis for poor performance.
So how do you get kids to show up more often? The Norman Public Schools and the Norman Rotary Club tried out an idea last year.
They gave students chances to win bikes, and their chances improved as their attendance improved.
As a result, attendance increased across the board. In fact, the program was so successful that district officials asked the club to go get more bikes and give them away again this school year.
About 3,000 children were involved in the Rotary Success Cycle program initiated in 2016 at nine Norman elementary schools. Through the help of a deep discount from Al’s Bicycles in Edmond, the Norman Rotary Club bought and gave away 68 new bikes. Meanwhile, the Norman Police Department pitched in by giving the students an equal number of helmets and locks.
Every nine weeks, two bikes were raffled away at each school. Kids earned raffle tickets for each week of perfect attendance, so the more they came to school, the more tickets they got and the better their chances were of winning a bike.
Police officers, civic leaders, district administrators and — sometimes — television and newspaper photographers would be on hand when one girl and one boy would win a drawing and be rewarded with a new bike.
For most of the winners, it was their first bicycle, and for many, it was their only shot at getting a twowheeler of their own.
Norman Superintendent Nick Migliorino attended several of last year’s award ceremonies.
“The bike presentations were very special, memorable moments for many of the kids,” he said. “The program is great for Norman schools because of the academic benefit, as well as the joy those bicycles bring.”
Fundraising ride
Last year, the rotary club funded the program through a one-time, $10,000 grant from the organization’s national body. To pay for the program this year, the club has turned to the bicycle ride as a solution once again.
While a Norman Public School Foundation grant will fund part of this year’s success cycle program, the club has established the Rotary Road Rally bicycle ride as another funding vehicle to support the program this year and into the future.
The Saturday ride begins at 8 a.m. at Norman’s Reaves Park, when police escort riders up Jenkins Avenue and east on Lindsey Street to multiple routes in the city’s rural countryside. Some participants will ride as far south as Lexington, and distances will range from 12 miles to 50 miles.
The club is hoping for a strong turnout. The club took care to select a date that would not infringe on Norman’s Sooner sanctity. The University of Oklahoma football team does not play on Sept. 30, home or away. So, what else will there be to do that Saturday morning but get out and ride a bike?