In Wake of Successful Walk to School Day, Volunteers Sought to Make it a Weekly Event

Elementary kids walking from Chi-Bro park to Klager Elementary as part of National Walk-to-School Day.

On Wednesday, October 8, Manchester students participated for the 2nd year in a row in the National Walk to School Day. Elementary and Middle School students met up at Carr park and Chi-Bro park before school and walked as groups with adult volunteers to their schools. Last year, students had the option of starting at the library as well, but that site had such a low turn-out, it was eliminated this year. Chi-Bro and Carr Parks had numbers about the same as last year with about 30 kids walking from Chi-Bro (1.06 miles to Klager Elementary and 1.23 miles to the Middle School) and 25 walking from Carr Park (.27 miles to Klager and .61 miles to the Middle School).

Melanie Woods, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator, organized the event. Woods stated that the walk went great — but like last year, she had a hard time getting parents or any adult volunteers, to commit to helping with the walk. The adults walking with students this year consisted of a few parent helpers, village officials, a local Wellness Coalition member and a representative from the Michigan Fitness Foundation, who helps with Safe Routes to School grant applications. This is an issue, as the Safe Routes to School group would like to begin a weekly walk to school program called “Walking Wednesdays.”  The plan is to have students walking from the same parks at the same times of 7:30 from Carr Park & 7:40 from Chi-Bro Park every Wednesday throughout the year. But, Woods explained, she is in desperate need of adult volunteers to help with this.

As part of the Walking Wednesdays program, students will receive necklaces with tokens as incentives to participate. A scanner system will be put in place at the Middle School to track the students walking or biking to school. Once that system is in place, prizes will be awarded to classes with the most student participation. But, this can’t happen without volunteers. Woods stated, “I would love to see the community come together to support our Safe Routes to School efforts by Walking with our students on Wednesday mornings.”

Another plan the Safe Routes to School group has in the works will have students walking and will help alleviate the traffic at the schools by using the Ackerson Building as a remote drop-off & pick-up location every day. There would not be adults walking with the students from this location, but being conveniently located within walking distance from the schools, parents would be able to use this location to avoid the hectic traffic situation at the schools and make pick-up and drop-off run much smoother. Parents would enter the one-way street on Beaufort along the west side of Ackerson by the round room with all the windows. Students could wait at the steps here for pick-up and both drop-off & pick-up would allow students to safely exit and enter the car from the the curb.

If anyone has questions or is interested in helping with Walking Wednesdays program, please contact Melanie Woods at melwoods1131@aol.com or call 734-323-8903.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.