Totals: 32 bikes; 64 wheels; 581 students; 1,162 happy feet pedaling their schools' new bicycles.
Volunteers gathered Friday at John Tyson Elementary School in Springdale to assemble the last of 830 bicycles purchased by the school district, thanks to a $262,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation. Now, students district-wide are ready to hit the road ... and some the Razorback Regional Greenway.
"I love it," said Sarah Boyd, vice president of the Parent-Teacher Association at Tyson, who was seen Friday with a screwdriver in hand. "As soon as I heard (about the program), I was all about it." Healthy lifestyles with good food and exercise are important to her family, who ride their own bicycles close to home, she said.
"We are educating the whole child," said Jacob Sherwood, principal of Tyson Elementary. "What we teach them about a healthy lifestyle can become life-long skills."
"This is way more fun than my regular job," said Chris Stecklein, executive director of the Springdale Public Schools Educational Fund, while wielding the hose of an air compressor. The Walton Family Grant also supports the SPSEF scholarship fund, "and this project needed a lot of partnerships," Stecklein said. "I'm so pleased we're able to help them roll this out.
"The students at Archer (Learning Center) used theirs the next day," he said excitedly.
Employees from Arvest Banks, CrossFit Terra Firma, Everett Chevrolet, Lewis and Clark Outfitters and many more, as well as volunteers from Americorp and the ranks of parents, volunteered their time over the last few months to assemble the bikes at various schools. So did the Springdale Fire Department.
"We like to do a lot of public service," said Capt. Matthew Chacanaca. "And my kid goes here. We knew they needed manpower, and we might be able to help them. We like to do this kind of stuff."
William Smith, Tyson's physical education teacher, said an end-of-the-year field trip for the school's fifth-graders will find them riding along the Razorback Greenway. Third- and fourth-graders will bicycle, too, but stay on the school campus, he said.
Until then, the students will be learning about bicycle safety and the trails.
At George Junior High, students Yesenia Facundo, Maria Hernandez and Carla Pena said they learned safety as well as basic bicycle maintenance and bicycle control before they were allowed to ride. Facundo, a ninth-grader, demonstrated the two-finger rule the students were taught for wearing safety helmets: "Your hat should sit two fingers above your eyebrows," she said, marking the space with her fingers. "And you should be able to put two fingers under the chin strap, so you don't choke to death."
Pena, an eighth-grader, shared the ABCs of a bicycle: "Check for air in your wheels. Check your brakes to make sure they're working, and your chain to make sure it's in place. That's all before you leave."
Physical education teachers Kelly Allison and Shay Baldwin at George spent a week on bicycle basics before the teens even climbed aboard their bikes -- and they also spent the week teaching some students to balance and ride a bike for the first time.
"The kids get excited about riding the bikes," Allison said. "Kids will dress out on the days we're going to ride the bicycles. They get out in the fresh air. They might break a sweat."
Even eighth-grader Elena Clark, a special needs student, gets to ride, too -- on a tandem bike from home. "Adult only," she insisted for her partners.
In typical teen talk, the students said riding the bikes was "cool."
"It's better than being on your iPhone," Facundo added.
Soon, the George students will take advantage of the greenway, which runs along the front of the school on South Powell Street -- one teacher in front, and the other in the back of the pack.
Cheryl Tupper at George gave her students an assignment: to list the six most meaningful events in their lives. These students -- new to Springdale and the English language -- listed things like being born, moving to the United States ...
"And that they learned to ride a bike at George Junior High!" the teacher shared.
NAN Our Town on 09/17/2015