Bike & Roll to School Day celebrates getting to school using active transportation—biking, walking or rolling! Getting to school this way helps children exercise, move their bodies, get to know their neighborhoods and come to school energized and refreshed. 53 schools in Colorado registered to participate in 2021. We asked some schools around the state how they celebrated Bike & Roll to School Day, and here’s what they told us.

Some of the photos below are from this year’s Bike & Roll to School Day, while others are from previous years or other Bicycle Colorado education programs.

What education or encouragement activities did your school host this year?

Holyoke Elementary closes down the blocks surrounding the football field for a group ride and dismisses classes every five minutes to join the festivities. We partner with the local Lions Club, bike shop, police department and emergency services. We read reminders on the morning announcements, put up posters around the school and promote on the radio and in the newspaper. Students are given a word search and crossword puzzle and those who participate in the group ride receive certificates.

Coordinator: Eric Buxman, teacher
School: Boltz Middle School
City: Fort Collins
Student population: 600
Years participated in Bike & Roll to School Day: 4-6 years

What education or encouragement activities did your school host this year?

We celebrate a week of biking to school at Boltz Middle School. Kids who participate are rewarded with daily snacks and their names are entered into a raffle drawing held at the end of the week. Raffle prizes are donated by local bike shops.
Our week-long celebration is student-centered. Most of the organizing and daily program management is accomplished with the help of student volunteers.

How did you ensure your activities were inclusive and that as many students as possible could help celebrate?

We also reward students for walking or rolling to school. For students who live too far away to ride, we allow their parents to drop them off a few blocks from school.

How many students participated in your activities?

Historically, we have 60-75 kids participate.

Coordinator: Angie Hill, PE teacher
School: Parkview Elementary School
City: Rangely
Student population: 202
Years participated in Bike & Roll to School Day (BRTSD): 2-3 years

Your school has participated in BRTSD for multiple years. What has made you want to keep celebrating? 
This is my first year getting to participate in Bike and Roll to School Day. I love to mountain bike and would love to get more kids interested in it. I wanted to continue our school’s participation so our students continue to learn bike safety and benefits of biking.

How did you ensure your activities were inclusive and that as many students as possible could help celebrate?
I did a bicycle obstacle course around our track at our school. I made it to where students who were not comfortable doing some of the obstacles had the option to go around them. I also had several extra bikes and helmets so those students that didn’t have a bike were still able to participate with us. For my younger grades, we talked about pedestrian safety and went for a walk to the park and practiced going through crosswalks.

How many students participated in your activities?
190 students participated in my activities.

How do you plan to continue the momentum of BRTSD or use what you learned as a school or community to help more kids bike/walk/roll to school?
Next year I would like to have a unit on teaching biking skills and spend more time on the rules of the road. I would also like to get helmets donated to every student that does not have one. I was shocked at how many students did not have one this year!

Coordinator: Stephanie Boone, teacher
School: Jenkins Middle School
City: Colorado Springs
Student population: 800
Years participated in BRTSD: 2-3 years

Your school has participated in BRTSD for multiple years. What has made you want to keep celebrating?

This is my first year as the coordinator. We decided to do this because we felt it an important activity to teach air quality and health.

What education or encouragement activities did your school host this year?

We hosted a spirit week, showed environmental videos during 7th period and held a raffle for those who walked or biked to school.

How many students participated in your activities?

At least half of our student population.

How did your BRTSD impact students and the community? Are there any particular successes, stories or student testimonials you’d like to summarize?

Students loved it. Everyday we had more and more participants. Students walked together in groups and a sense of community was built in this year of uncertainty.

Coordinator: Mark Garcia, PE Teacher
School: Rocky Mountain Elementary School
City: Clifton
Student population: 430
Years participated in BRTSD: 7+ years

Your school has participated in BRTSD for multiple years. What has made you want to keep celebrating?

It’s a great way to get out there in the community and get to see our kiddos in a different environment. The students and staff really enjoy it and it’s a great way to bond with our students/community.

What education or encouragement activities did your school host this year?

We do bike/walk to school day and we also have a Walk-A-Thon.

How did you ensure your activities were inclusive and that as many students as possible could help celebrate?

We did our Walk-A-Thon during “specials” time which all students have in their schedules so that every student had a chance to participate.

How did your BRTSD impact students and the community? Are there any particular successes, stories or student testimonials you’d like to summarize?

Students enjoy walking in with teachers and telling them about their neighborhood.

Thank you, educators, for sharing how your schools and communities celebrated Bike & Roll to School Day! We’re excited to see even more students, schools and communities participating next year.