ON THE MOVE
New Ulm students participate in Walk, Bike, and Roll to School
Brooks Dickinson, Wyatt Hopp, and Jase Hopp (L-R) hold the honorary Walk, Bike, and Roll to school day banner as they set off for New Ulm Elementary/Middle School and St. Anthony’s from Turner Hall. Around 60 kids participated in the walk total.
New Ulm School Resource Officer Andrew Achman talks to the kids as he prepares them to start the Walk, Bike, and Roll to St. Anthony’s and New Ulm Elementary/Middle School. Achman has been involved for three years, and has thorougly enjoyed helping put on the event.
A Walk, Bike, Roll to school day group stands excited to start walking by Turner Hall. Groups walked from Turner Hall, New Ulm Medical Center, and the Lincoln Park playground to the St. Anthony and New Ulm Elementary/Middle Schools.
Brooks Dickinson, Wyatt Hopp, and Jase Hopp (L-R) hold the honorary Walk, Bike, and Roll to school day banner as they set off for New Ulm Elementary/Middle School and St. Anthony’s from Turner Hall. Around 60 kids participated in the walk total.
New Ulm School Resource Officer Andrew Achman talks to the kids as he prepares them to start the Walk, Bike, and Roll to St. Anthony’s and New Ulm Elementary/Middle School. Achman has been involved for three years, and has thorougly enjoyed helping put on the event.
A Walk, Bike, Roll to school day group stands excited to start walking by Turner Hall. Groups walked from Turner Hall, New Ulm Medical Center, and the Lincoln Park playground to the St. Anthony and New Ulm Elementary/Middle Schools.
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NEW ULM -- Kids in New Ulm got up bright and early Wednesday, as National Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day made its return for the 26th year.
Walk to School Day made its first appearance in 1997. New Ulm has been participating in the program since the beginning, with Heart of New Ulm and the Safe Routes to School Action Team taking over in 2009. The event has three dates for each of the school seasons. The fall walk in October, the winter walk in February, and the spring walk each May.
The event gives elementary and middle school kids from New Ulm Elementary/Middle, Cathedral, St. Anthony, and St. Paul an organized opportunity to walk to school with trusted adults from the community. Parents were able to drop their kids off at either Turner Hall, New Ulm Medical Center, or the Lincoln Park playground by 7:30 a.m. From there, the kids walked in groups to their respective schools.
One of the adults leading the Turner Hall group was School Resource Officer (SRO) Andrew Achman. He said he first got involved in the walk three years ago when he joined the Safe Routes to School Committee as an SRO. Achman said he has observed several positives with the program.
"It’s been great to get some families and kids together who [don't usually] see each other," he said." Promoting exercise and encouraging the good idea to walk and roll to school. It gets the blood flowing and gets kids together. It also cuts down on vehicle traffic."
Achman said he has seen more and more kids participate each year. This statement was echoed by New Ulm Area Safe Routes to School coordinator Brie Taralson. She said around sixty kids participated across the three starting locations. Taralson said a lot of what Safe Routes to School does is community-oriented.
"It’s very grassroots," she said. "We did a lot of social media for awareness of the events happening. We sent letters home with all of the kids with the schools, and into their newsletters. Anybody who wanted to come was welcome to. We said 'These are the times we’re meeting in the parks and whoever shows up shows up.'"
This year marks a step forward for their Walk to School program. For the first time, a weekly Walk to School day has been established and advertised. Every Wednesday at 7:20 a.m. from Lincoln Park, parents, and kids can walk with a group to promote their own social and physical health and help decongest the roadways. Taralson said it took teamwork and communication to put everything together.
"I partnered with one of the schools interested," she said. "They had a lot of students coming from one of the neighborhoods. We mapped out where students are coming from and where would it make sense to connect. It’s more than walking or biking. It’s about when you walk or you bike, you make connections. You have conversations with people you wouldn’t have if you were in a car. It’s about building a stronger sense of community and social connection."
Taralson said the New Ulm Area has been an extremely supportive and engaged community with the goals of Heart of New Ulm and Safe Routes to School. New Ulm Area Schools will be re-applying to state grant funds to keep the program going. The grant operates on a two-year cycle.
Taralson said with an influx of cash from the state, there should be enough to keep their program going. It could even potentially expand to surrounding school districts.
"That's the hope," she said. "This year was a historic year in terms of funding applied for active transportation and Safe Routes to School at the state level."