Walk to School Day is Oct. 8

The Williams-Elementary Middle School (WEMS) will once again join schools across the world to participate in International Walk to School Day Oct. 8. Parents and community members are invited to join students as they walk or bike from the nearest Walking School Bus Stop, where they will be led by an adult Safe Routes to School volunteer. Students who live too far away to walk or bike will also have the opportunity to participate by being dropped off by their parents or their school bus at one of the two Park and Walk drop-off locations: the Williams High School or the Holiday Inn. Only students who have submitted signed permission slips will be dropped off the buses to join walkers.

Students who walk to school Oct. 8 will receive small prizes such as hackey-sacks, caps, Frisbees, or pedometers. Everyone is encouraged to wear their "Falcon Fitness" T-shirt or school colors (orange and black) if possible on IWSD and on every Fitness Friday. During last year's event, 320 of the 510 students who attended school on Oct. 3 walked or rode their bikes.

Contact Doris Ann Mertz at (928) 635-9645 for more information or to find out how to get involved in the Safe Routes to School program.

The Williams Unified School District (WUSD) Safe Routes to School program at WEMS has various programs/events coming up this fall to encourage a more active lifestyle among students. The purpose of these programs is to develop healthier lifestyles among students in order to combat the trends of increasing childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes among youth.

The Falcon Fitness Program for the 2008 fall semester is scheduled to run for eight weeks, from Sept. 22 to Nov. 17.

The students will bring home Activity Almanacs in which they will keep track of their activities and convert the activities to equivalent miles using the Mega Mileage Equivalency Guide. For example, 15 minutes of jazz/tap dancing is equivalent to one mile, while 30 minutes of playing catch is equal to a mile. Time spent at football, cheer, volleyball practices and games will add up quickly and allow students to accumulate lots of miles, according to WUSD organizers. At the end of the program, students will use their miles to purchase items at the Falcon Fitness store. Miles may used in exchange for:

• Raffle tickets for large prizes, such as skateboards and bikes (25 miles each)

• Falcon Fitness merchandise, such as hydration backpacks, drawstring backpacks, caps, t-shirts, water bottles, etc...

• Miscellaneous prizes, such as basketballs, footballs, pom-poms, CDs, bouncy balls, jump ropes, Frisbees, and other toys.

Also, the elementary class with the highest average mileage per student at the end of October will be rewarded with a class trip on the Polar Express on Nov. 6. Organizers said the school's goal is to accumulate enough miles during the eight weeks to walk around the circumference of the earth (approximately 24,900 miles).

Pedestrian and biking safety is an emphasis of the Safe Routes to School program. To promote bike safety, the Safe Routes to School program, in cooperation with Williams Police Department's Community Service Officer Sarah MacRae, will offer a third bike rodeo to second grade to fifth grade students tomorrow. At the bike rodeos, students learn about inspecting a bike for safety, choosing a bike to fit their size, proper bike helmet fit and using hand signals. Students will also be given bike helmets if they own a bike, but do not currently own a helmet, organizers said.

Students will only be allowed to participate if they return a signed permission slip. At last year's bike rodeos, 148 students participated and 58 helmets were given away. The bike rodeos are held prior to International Walk to School Day (IWSD) each year to ensure that kids are educated about bike safety prior to being encouraged to ride their bikes to school.