Asheboro
– Students, families, teachers, and administrators from Asheboro City Schools
and Donna Lee Loflin Elementary School joined the Honorable Mayor David Smith,
Safe Kids of Randolph County, the Asheboro Fire Department, and the North
Carolina Highway Patrol on Wednesday, Oct. 2 to participate in International
Walk to School Day.
The
event will began at 7 a.m. with everyone walking from the lower parking lot at
Memorial Park on Church Street to Donna Lee Loflin Elementary. During the
event, students learned about crosswalk safety, holding an adult’s hand, and
looking both ways before crossing.
Walk
to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for
walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing
physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and
concern for the environment. Wednesday’s event helped to build connections
between families, the school district, and the broader community.
For
additional local information, please contact Leigh Anna Marbert at (336)
625-5104. For additional information, please visit these websites:
Walk to School Day in the USA www.walkbiketoschool.org
National Center for Safe Routes to
School www.saferoutesinfo.org
About International Walk to School Day:
- Walk to School Day was established in the
United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America.
Canada and Great Britain already had walk to school programs in
place. In 2000, these three
countries joined together to create International Walk to School Day.
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In May 2006, the National Center
for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and
encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school.
- The National Center for Safe Routes to School
serves as the national coordinating agency for Walk to School and Bike to
School activities in the United States.
- Walk to School Day began as a simple idea –
children and parents, school and local officials walking to school
together on a designated day. It is an energizing event, reminding
everyone of the simple joy of walking to school, the health benefits of regular
daily activity, and the need for safe places to walk and bike. Schools
focus on health, safety, physical activity and concern for the
environment.
- Organizations supporting
International Walk to School Day in the United States include America
Walks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highway Administration, the
Institute of Transportation Engineers, the National Center for Safe Routes
to School, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids
Worldwide, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
About
Asheboro City Schools:
Asheboro City Schools is a medium-sized school
district in North Carolina, serving approximately 4,800 students at eight
schools and one five-star Early Childhood Development Center. The district’s mission
is to graduate responsible citizens who are prepared to succeed in higher
education or the career of their choice. For more information, visit the
district’s website at http://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/.
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(Reporters/Editors: Please call Leigh Anna Marbert at
(336) 625-5104.)