Wednesday Is Walk To School Day

Held each year on the first Wednesday of October, Walk to School Day is an internationally recognized day to celebrate the benefits of walking by encouraging schoolchildren to walk and bicycle to school.

Now in its 15th year in the United States, the event is recognized as a way to bring school officials, local leaders, parents, and children together to build awareness of why communities should be more walkable.

“The hope is that Walk or Roll to School Day will generate enough enthusiasm for walking and bicycling that schoolchildren will continue to walk and bike to school long after the Oct. 5 celebration has ended,” said Carol Kilko, director of the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center.

According to , about 800 students (out of over 3,400 students) walk to its six schools.

The district's Transportation Department's policy for walking to school is as follows:

• Grades 1 through 5 may walk up to ¾ of a mile to their school or respective bus stops. This distance is well below the State mandate of 1 ½ miles for elementary students.
• Grades 6 through 8 may walk up to 1 ¼ miles to their school or respective bus stops. The State mandates up to 2 miles for secondary students.
• Grades 9 through 12 may walk up to 1 ½ miles to their school or respective bus stops. State mandates up to 2 miles for secondary students.

will participate in the day with a celebration, where teachers and staff will be stationed at the four entrances of the school to welcome and sign in the students as they arrive. Student walkers will receive a sticker to wear all day.

According to Christine Ward, the health and physical education teacher at the school, the students' names will be added to a certificate which will be displayed in the hallway and given to them at a later date.

Over the years, student walkers at Loomis have increased. According to Ward, in 2008 Loomis had 67 walkers; 2009 brought 90 walkers, and in 2010 there were a total of 92 walkers.