Fairfax school receives SRTS mini grant

Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean was one of four Virginia schools awarded $1,000 mini grants. They plan to purchase two bike racks. We've been in touch with the school and hope to meet with them to discuss bicycle safety classes and possible formation of a bike train. Congratulations to Kent Gardens.

The deadline for applying for the next round of Quick Start Mini-grants is December 20. The grants are great for holding bike rodeos, holding bike safety classes, or purchasing incentives for kids who participate in walk and bike to school days.

Centreville High School bike program

Centreville HS bike program kids

Christina Saindon is a physical education teacher at Centreville High School. A few years ago her school received a $5,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Education to buy bicycles for use in PE classes. I met Christina at the Bike Safety Education meeting that was part of the Bicycle Master Plan process. I was intrigued by her bike program and she agreed to answer some questions. She also sent these photos.

What grades can participate?
I teach 9th grade although I will take some students from other classes in 10th grade on occasion.

How many students participate?
We have 35 students per class and I teach 4 sections each year. Although if I can get a full class set of bikes for next year I want to try to teach twice that amount.

Are students required to participate or is the class an elective?
It is required for my students. However, they and their parents sign an agreement to participate. If a student really doesn’t want to ride I have them help in some other way.

How many bikes do you have?
We have about 22 bikes. Although I am looking to acquire more and sometimes students bring their own in from home.

Do you provide helmets?
Absolutely! We require all students to wear them at all times. Students also have the option to use their own.

Learning hand signals

What curriculum do you use?
I use the Bike Safety Curriculum from Oregon. It’s a few years old and geared towards middle school students, so I am looking for newer material. This is only my second year teaching biking.

What's the name of the teacher who taught you to teach the class?
Misty Boyd, Physical Education Department Chair at TC Williams (She is a BikeSmart instructor).

Do you ride off school grounds?
The first few days we practice drills on campus. Then we ride around Braddock Park and eventually Braddock and Union Mill Road trails.

Have you ever heard of the prohibition against bike riding in FCPS schools?
No I haven’t. Special Education students bike all the time. So far I have had no injuries of any sort. Many schools throughout the United States teach biking. As long as they are taught the proper guidelines and take it seriously – it’s very safe. I can see the concern however with going out on the road with such a large group.

Do you think that students who go through your class are better drivers when they get their license?
I doubt they are better drivers. However, it does give them an advantage going into driver’s ed classes. It also helps them respect bicyclists on the road better.

Thanks to Christina for agreeing to answer my questions about the program. I hope she's able to get a full contingent of bikes for next year.

School Facilities and FFX Co Pkwy meetings tonight

See the FABB Events page for information on two meetings tonight. The School Facility Planning meeting is being held tonight at Carson Middle School, 13618 McLearen Rd, Herndon, VA 20171 and Glasgow Middle School, 4101 Fairfax Pkwy, Alexandria, VA 22312. Both meetings start at 7pm. This is an opportunity to speak out for the need to make our schools more bicycle and pedestrian friendly and to ask FCPS to spend less on making it easier for parents to drive kids to school, kids who could take the bus or walk or bike.

VDOT his holding a public meeting to discuss repaving of FFX Co Parkway. The trail is not part of the project but it desperately needs to be repaved and redesigned. The redesign should be part of the repaving project. That meeting also starts at 7pm at VDOT District Office, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Bike to School Day May 9

Fairfax County Public Schools will celebrate the first National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 9. Congratulations to FCPS for agreeing to be part of this event. From the FCPS news release:

Students are encouraged to bike or walk to school on May 9. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school, and to work with their school and PTA or PTO to assemble bike trains or walking groups for the event. Schools that are launching a schoolwide effort to participate can register online at http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) School Board chair Janie Strauss and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chair Sharon Bulova are joining forces to encourage county residents to participate in National Bike to School Day. “Increased physical activity is something we all should strive for,” said Strauss. “Using an alternative method of traveling to school will help meet that goal while reducing vehicular traffic on county roads.” Adds Bulova, “Bicycling is not only a great way to exercise, but an efficient mode of transportation. I encourage Fairfax County students to take this opportunity to learn bike safety, find the best route to school, and enjoy the trip."

Marshall Road Elementary School is one of several Fairfax County public schools that have recently adopted the Safe Routes to School program and have initiated a bike train. With the assistance and encouragement of the school administration and PTA, students from Marshall Road will be biking to the school on May 9 as part of the national event. In addition, Marshall Road Elementary students will be participating in the Vienna Bike Walk Challenge during the week of May 14- 18 along with students from Vienna Elementary, Louise Archer Elementary, Cunningham Park Elementary, and Wolftrap Elementary Schools.

The Fairfax County Police Department plans to have patrol officers on the roads on May 9, and motorists are urged to be vigilant of bikers and pedestrians on National Bike to School Day.

Additional information about FCPS and National Bike to School Day can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/news/walktoschool.shtml.

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

As we've mentioned in the past, FABB has been working closely with school officials to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. See a summary of this work written by Gina Arlotto of WABA.

We were encouraged to read about Safe Routes to Schools in the Fairfax County School System publication State of the Schools - December 2011 and we especially liked Superintendent Dale's comments:

Fairfax County Public Schools is proud to participate in Safe Routes to Schools, an international effort to encourage more families to get out of their cars and onto their feet to enjoy the many benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school and to work with their PTA or PTO to organize walking events.

"Walking is a simple way to incorporate exercise into your day," said FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. "We encourage all FCPS students and families to participate in this program and walk or bike to school whenever possible."

The program promotes physical activity, pedestrian safety, and concern for the environment. Several Fairfax County public schools have established a Safe Routes to School program and participate in bike and walk to school challenges.

Thanks to FCPS for embracing Safe Routes to School and we look forward to seeing more kids walking and biking to school in the future. For more info see the Fairfax SRTS Facebook page and the Fairfax schools Walk to School site.