Schools Celebrate Walk to School Day

On Wednesday, October 9, schools across the country celebrated International Walk to School Day. Many schools in the Chicagoland region participated, and Active Trans was able to support a number of them with resources and guidance.

For some schools, the celebration merged with programming they already had in place. For others, this was a special day that will hopefully kickstart more activities like this in the future.

At Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy in Chicago's Cragin neighborhood, hundreds of students, staff and parents met at a corner about four blocks from the school to create a Walking School Bus. Prieto plans to continue the Walking School Bus practice every week for Walking Wednesdays.

At Nobel Elementary in West Humboldt Park, students were encouraged to walk and bike and gain a healthy start to their day. Prieto and Nobel are both schools participating in the Healthy CPS and LearnWELL initiatives.

Other Chicago schools also participated: At Ray Elementary in Hyde Park, students met at two different locations for Walking School Buses. At Skinner North Elementary in Old Town, after school students celebrated transportation week, they learned about why you should walk and bike and how to do so more safely.

Many other schools across the state and region also participated. Students at schools in West Chicago and Des Plaines joined Walking School Buses, and students in Berwyn received walking maps and safety information to encourage participation. See a list of some of the schools participating in Illinois this year. 

Active Trans is always excited to help schools celebrate biking and walking events and look forward to supporting future Walk and Bike to School Day events.

If you’d like more information on the work we do to support children and youth walking and biking, visit www.activetrans.org/education or e-mail education@activetrans.org.

Listen to a local radio spot on Bike and Walk to School Day.