WASHINGTON–聽The bikes arrived in the District of Columbia Public School鈥檚 warehouse in August. By mid-October, the first group of second graders with access to the 600 bikes were ready to roll; they鈥檇 been given the basics of biking, taught about safety, and now, would go on a ride of up to six miles in their neighborhoods.
For the kids at CW Harris Elementary School in Southeast D.C., the weather for their October ride couldn鈥檛 have been better: sunny and warm. As they were ushered into the gymnasium where they鈥檇 been training, practicing bike handling, braking and turns, they excitedly sat down to be outfitted with helmets. They chattered about the ABC鈥檚 of biking鈥攖he first check before every ride: Air, Brakes, Chain.
Mike Richards, the Health and Physical Education teacher at CW Harris, made sure each child was paired with a chaperone. The kids were excited to roll out the door, and Mr. Richards was asked if he was nervous. 鈥淵eah!鈥� he said, without hesitation. 鈥淭his is my first time doing anything like this. I鈥檓 anxious, I鈥檓 nervous.鈥� But, he said, he was confident in the volunteers who were serving as chaperones and in the path he鈥檇 mapped out for his students.
Principal Heather Hairston also admitted to some nerves. 鈥淚鈥檓 fighting the temptation to get in my car and follow them鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淏ut I trust our teachers and I trust our people and we鈥檝e got 聽a lot of support. And if they need anything, we鈥檒l be right there.鈥�
As they headed out the door, they walked their bikes. Once outside, the groups hopped on their rides聽and took off. Some zipped right along, others wobbled, but everyone completed the ride. Seven year old Jazzmen Tate was not a fan of the segment of the ride that took the kids into the woods, but she did like one part– 鈥淕oing downhill!鈥� Seven year old Hassan Walker agreed about the downhill part. The kids did have some challenging uphills too. 鈥淚t was kind of like a roller coaster,” Walker said.
Eight year old Sikeyia Gladden said she had fun on the ride. 鈥淚t was great!鈥� she said with a smile. For those who had trouble with the uphills, seven-year-old ArMari Kelly offered some advice. 鈥淒o what I do, just stand up and go up the hill鈥�. She was referring to her strategy of attacking hills by standing up on the pedals and pumping as hard as she could. It worked, volunteer chaperone Jeff Miller said, he was blown away by her determination.
DCPS started the cycling program this year as part of the Cornerstones Program. Principal Hairston said the kids were honing gross and fine motor skills, developing cooperative learning, and building a supportive community. An example of that cooperation and support is provided by ArMari, who offered the following to nervous novice cyclists: 鈥淩ide side-by-side with me so you won鈥檛 be scared.鈥�
Richards, who declared the ride a success when his class returned to school for lunch, said that along with the learning skills the students were gaining, they were also exercising. 鈥淚f they can have fun riding a bicycle, they鈥檙e having fun exercising. And as health and phys-ed teachers, that鈥檚 what we want our students to take away from our class.鈥�
