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SDOT Supports International Walk to School Month

October is International Walk to School Month, an occasion for children, parents, teachers and community leaders to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking.  SDOT is supporting walk to school events at seven schools this month; West Seattle, Coe, Green Lake, Hawthorne, Van Asselt, and Dearborn Park Elementary Schools and Aki Kurose Middle School.   

Coe Elementary School children line up to track the miles they walked as part of the I Walk to School campaign.

 

The week of October 1st, SDOT invited all students at Coe Elementary to participate in an “I-walk to school” campaign. Each morning, SDOT staff greeted students and tracked the miles they walked each day. SDOT challenged students to log more miles than May 2012, when they last participated in the walk to school program. At the end of the week, 173 students participated and walked over 230 miles, exceeding their mileage from last May by 70 miles and 50 new students participated!  Many students walked to school every day and one dedicated student walked over a mile to school so she could participate in the program.  Later this fall, second grade students will receive pedestrian safety instruction in the classroom and practice safe street crossing on the nearby streets on a walking field trip. Using their new skills, students will cross the street independently under adult supervision.

To encourage walking and biking throughout the school year, SDOT is offering Safe Routes to School Mini Grants to schools and PTAs that want to launch their own walk and bike to school campaigns.  Mini grants can provide up to $1,000 for school projects that educate students about pedestrian and bicycle safety and encourage walking and biking to school.  For more information and to download a mini grant application, visit http://www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/ped_srts_grant.htm 

Applications are due Friday, November 2, 2012.