Bike to School Day at Northside College Prep

On Wednesday, May 8, many hundreds of schools across the country celebrated National Bike to School Day. This included a significant number of schools across Chicagoland and the state of Illinois.

From Chicago to Elmhurst, Palatine to Countryside, schools celebrated the day with activities like on-bike education programs, bike trains to school and bike safety presentations. (Read about some of the Illinois schools and their activities on the Bike to School Day website.) 

Active Transportation Alliance was on hand at Northside College Prep in Chicago, where students who biked to school were treated to Clif Bars and given an off-campus lunch pass (a great perk for any high school student) and entered into a raffle to win bike lights and other prizes.

Students from the school's Chicago Studies class promoted the day with posters around school.

An estimated 10 percent of students biked to the school on Wednesday, causing the bike racks to overflow (see photo!).

Donte and Paul, a couple of Northside College Prep students, said they had never biked to school before and would definitely be doing it again.

A student named Sara said it was her second time riding. She said likes it because it’s faster than other modes of transportation for her, and allows her to catch a bit more sleep in the morning.

A student named Summer also touted the speed of biking, saying “I need to do this more often.”

Events like Bike to School Day provide a great opportunity for students, staff and parents to try out the bike as a fun, feasible and fast way to get where they need to go.

Out of school and working? Well then, you'll need to sign up for the Bike Commuter Challenge, happening in early June.