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Rhode Island Schools and Students Celebrate International Walk to School Day
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Gov. Pothier School in Woonsocket
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On October 5, thousands of students - and their parents - were on their feet in Rhode Island for good health. Thirty-five schools across the state took part in International Walk to School Day, the celebration of getting to class by foot or bicycle.
A highlighted event at Kent Heights Elementary School in East Providence saw over 100 parents, students and teachers take part, a large bloc of them walking together to the school from a public library gathering spot six blocks away. The site of the group marching together en masse through the local neighborhood that could have come from an Americana scrapbook was inspiring to onlookers.
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Kent Heights Elementary School Principal Fatima Avila (left) and Education Commissioner Deborah Gist
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Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, who joined the group, said "In order to make our schools great places for teaching and learning, it's important that students eat nutritious meals, get plenty of rest, stay physically fit, and come to school ready to learn. Programs that encourage physical activity such as the International Walk to School inspire students to enjoy exercise and to stay healthy."
Walking promotes academic performance and individual health. Studies have shown that exercise reduces stress, improves test scores, as well as helping to curb obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The Center for Disease Control of the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends 60 minutes per day of moderate exercise for children and 20 minutes to half-hour for adults.
Commissioner Gist was joined by the director of the RI Department of Health, Michael Fine; Rep. Helio Melo; and Rep. Roberto DaSilva, who all applauded students, teachers, and parents for walking at Kent Heights. Also participating were Principal Fatima Avila, representatives from RI Department of Transportation, Department of Administration-Statewide Planning, and other state representatives. (For remarks in full from the featured speakers, click here.)
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Audubon Senior Director of Policy Eugenia Marks and Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health Michael Fine.
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Eighteen percent of Rhode Island seventh graders weigh-in in the obese category, and 33 percent of all Rhode Island students are considered overweight. Sixty-two per cent of adults in the state are overweight or obese. A high body mass may lead to diabetic and cardiac conditions that can be prevented by weight loss. Walking to school can be an enjoyable time for social interaction and exercise, especially when students are joined by a guiding adult - parent, grandparent or other family member.
"After a century in which increasing access to motor transportation resulted in neighborhoods designed without much thought to encouraging walking, we are now coming to the realization that we've been missing something," said Rep. Melo, a Democrat who represents District 64 in East Providence and who serves as chairman of the House Finance Committee. "Communities that have lots of pedestrians have vibrant main streets, where people meet their neighbors and where small, local businesses can thrive because people can easily pop in on their way by. Encouraging children to get in the habit of walking whenever they can is not just good for their own health and the environment; It's a great way to create a new generation of people who appreciate their ability to walk to wherever they're going, and to ensure that when they are adults, they value keeping their communities walkable."
International Walk to School Day is the advocacy arm of "Safe Routes to School," a federal transportation funding source for local signals, signs, striping, enforcement, and safety education. Twenty-three Rhode Island schools in 12 municipalities were awarded grants. Safe Routes to School is administered by the RI Department of Transportation (providing signs and signals, as well as other transit-related elements); and the RI Department of Administration/Statewide Planning (carrying out enforcement and safety education).
International Walk to School Day is sponsored locally by the Coalition for Transportation Choices and its member groups; Audubon Society of RI; the AARP, and the Sierra Club RI. The Coalition for Transportation Choices welcomed partners from the RI Departments of Health, Education, Transportation, and Administration as it encouraged the multiple benefits of self-powered transportation.
Click here for a full list of participating schools.
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