HELENA — Even though it was a little windy and gloomy, students and parents still laced up their sneakers on Wednesday morning for the 27th annual Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day.
This yearly celebration takes place around the globe to encourage active lifestyles and emphasize the importance of accessible routes for students to walk, bike, or roll to their neighborhood schools. It's a way for both community members and students to understand the safety of students walking to school.
"Well, it's kind of like, to make like divers aware of kids walking to school, kinda to help kids walk to school and feel safe," said Vaidee Lehman a Jefferson Elementary Student.
It was said that over 100 Jefferson Elementary Students, and parents, participated in this year's Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day. For Principal Brice Burton at Jefferson Elementary, this year's event was a big success. Not only to get students, parents, and faculty to be active in going to school, but doing it together as a community.
"It provides opportunity for not only our students, but our families, too, to build new relationships and get those new friendships going and bring those back to school and it's just a great community builder," said Burton.
The Jefferson cafeteria faculty also provided fuel for all those who participated in the walk to school, to make sure everyone was set to start the day.
"Kudos to the food service because they put a big effort into getting, you know, our community within the buildings to everyone had cinnamon rolls this morning so that just makes it a little bit more fun," said Burton.
Students told me, it was a fun-filled way to start their school day, seeing their friends along the way.
"My sister had a friend to walk to school with, and I didn't, but then when we turned the corner I saw my friends so I ran to them and then I had friends to walk to school with," said Lehman.
Students were excited to see classmates, friends, and their parents out and walking to school.
"Just seeing everybody and talking to all my friends," said Scarlett Patterson, a Jefferson Elementary student.
"Me and my friend were goofing off and laughing," said Aubree Lehman, a Jefferson Elementary student.
"I enjoyed it a lot because I got to go with my friends," said Cecil Emory, a Jefferson Elementary student.
"I got to walk with my best friend and it was really, really fun," said Ava Evanson, a Jefferson Elementary Student.
Others wanted to get to the school quickly.
"It was pretty good. Also, it was really cold out, so my legs, like, got basically frozen and wanted to get inside," said Evelyn Emory, also a Jefferson Elementary student.
Last year, more than 4,000 schools participated in the Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day throughout the United States. Jefferson Elementary was one of those schools last year, and once again this year. The only elementary schools in the Helena school district that did not participate in this year's Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day were Central, Jim Darcy, and Warren.
