Video and story by Jo Mathis/AAPS District News
Several Ann Arbor Public Schools joined in celebrating the 27th National Walk & Roll to School Day on October 4, 2023. The participating schools were Ann Arbor Open, King Elementary, Lawton Elementary, Thurston Elementary, and Wines Elementary.
AAPS has participated in Walk and Bike to School Days for many years, says Liz Margolis, AAPS’ Executive Director of School Safety & District Operations.
“We encourage our students to walk and bike to school, when possible, as Ann Arbor offers safe and reliable routes to the majority of our schools,” says Margolis. “AAPS works closely with the City of Ann Arbor to create pedestrian improvements so students and families can start and end the school day by being outside and exercising. Plus, it’s great for our community’s sustainability goals and the environment. We love it when schools incorporate our bused students in walking a few added blocks to school on these days! Keep on walking and biking, students!”
While the official Walk & Roll to School Day is October 4 this year, communities can celebrate on any day in October that fits their schedule best. For example, Bach Elementary will celebrate on Thursday, October 5. The Wines community walks every Friday in October in addition to October 4 as part of their “Walktober” celebration that has occurred for the past 14 years under Principal David DeYoung.
“It started as simply taking part in International Walk to School Day in October and then it quickly grew into a month-long celebration that we call “Walktober,” said DeYoung. “It’s a great community-builder and we have each of our neighborhoods participate in their own way. We have parent volunteers stationed at the Riverwood/Newport Creek subdivision area, Sunset/Newport, and we have teachers and parents who meet kids at Creal Park as well. That, along with our transportation partners dropping off our bus riders at Forsythe, really allows everyone to participate.
Walk and Roll to School Day at Ann Arbor Open is a chance for the school community to come together while promoting the idea of making it safer and easier for kids—and their families—to get to school on foot or on two wheels, said A2 Open physical education teacher Jesse Deucher.
“With Open being a building that draws students from all across the city, this event looks a bit different for us,” Deucher said. “We certainly have staff and students who live within walking or biking distance and get to school without a car most days, but we also have families for whom that just isn’t realistic. For Walk and Roll, we want everyone to be included so we have a number of satellite meet-up spots at parks and neighboring elementary schools so families who bus or need to drive part-way can participate. At the building, we have activities like taking pictures with our school mascot, Panda, and button-making with the Ann Arbor District Library to commemorate the event.”
He said he couldn’t organize the event without the help of his fellow A2 Open staff, who arrived early to help walk students to school, as well as families who led carless carpools on foot or on bikes, and all the students who volunteered their time to make signs or cheer on younger students as they made their way to school.
“My hope is that this encourages more families to walk, bike, or park in the neighborhood on a regular basis to help make pick-up and drop-off safer for all of our students,” said Deucher.
