Atwater Elementary and Lake Bluff Elementary both held their "Walk to School Day" earlier this month. Unfortunately due to weather, both schools had to reschedule their festivities from the original date of Wednesday, October 2. Atwater held their celebration on Friday, October 4, while Lake Bluff held theirs on Tuesday, October 8.
Walk to School Day,* which is also celebrated nationally, has been an annual tradition for the Shorewood elementary schools for quite some time and consists of students and families walking to school and enjoying some festive celebrations before the beginning of the school day.
Food, drink, and music are typically provided thanks to the PTOs, and the Shorewood High School band makes a guest appearance, performing outside in front of the school (which alternates locations each year).
"One of the best things about Shorewood is its walkability factor and the close proximity between all of our schools," says Superintendent Bryan Davis. "So, this is a great chance to celebrate one of the many reasons we love our community."
*The purpose of National Walk to School Day each year is to promote walking and biking throughout the year. Hundreds of thousands of students, parents, school officials and local leaders across the United States joined in this 23rd annual celebration which highlights the importance of safer, more active transportation for youth in their local communities.
“Walk to School Day inspires schools and entire communities to celebrate safety, health and active transportation,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the coordinating agency for the event. “Participation increases every year, which is quite an impressive legacy of people coming together with the common goal of starting children on the right foot so they can thrive for years to come.”
In 2019, more than 4,000 schools in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. registered Walk to School Day events on walkbiketoschool.org. The total number of events is expected to grow as celebrations continue throughout October, Walk to School Month. More than half of Walk to School Day events lead to changes in policies and the physical environment that improve safety for walking and bicycling, holding promise for improving safety and transportation options for everyone. Learn more about these initiatives at: http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/