Walk to School Day 2016: 9 Silver Spring Schools Participate

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County school officials, elected leaders and police officials will join some 4,000 schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, Oct. 5

Students from eight elementary school and one middle school in Silver Spring will walk or roll to school as parents, teachers and community leaders provide encouragement. Schools taking part are: Arcola, Dr. Charles Drew, East Silver Spring, Forest Knolls, Harmony Hills, Sligo Creek, Stonegate and Woodlin elementaries, plus Takoma Park Middle School.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Montgomery County Public School Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith will celebrate Walk to School Day with other officials and the Whetstone Elementary School community in Montgomery Village. Also in attendance will be Watkins Mill High School students who volunteer to help Whetstone Elementary School students as part of the “Safe Walk Home” program, in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Recreation.

Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community. The purpose of Walk to School Day is to promote healthy communities and active transportation choices.

To enhance the safety of children, Maryland officials offers these tips:
For pedestrians:

• Use sidewalks and marked cross walks whenever possible.
• Press the pedestrian signal button and wait for the walk signal.
• Always stop at the curb and look left, right and left before crossing a street.
• Watch for cars turning in or leaving driveways.
• Walk, don’t run across the street.
• Wear light or bright colored clothing.
• Pay attention take off headphones while walking – no texting or playing games.

For drivers:

• Always stop for pedestrians.
• Obey traffic signs, signals and markings.
• Don’t run red lights.
• Observe posted speed limits. Speeding only makes it more difficult to stop for pedestrians.
• Keep your eyes on the road. It’s illegal to use a handheld phone/device or text while driving.

• When a school bus stops, the flashing red lights go on and the stop sign flaps come out, drivers in BOTH directions are required to stop. This is the most dangerous time as children get on or off the bus.
• It is against the law to pass a stopped school bus with its flashing red lights activated and stop arm extended.
• Drivers must be patient. There is simply no room for aggressive driving around a school bus.

Walk to School Day was established in the United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. Canada and Great Britain already had walk to school programs in place. In 2000, these three countries joined together to create International Walk to School Day.

The idea for Walk to School Day is simple: children and parents, school and local officials walking to school together on a designated day. It is an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy of walking to school, the health benefits of regular daily activity and the need for safe places to walk and bike.

In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school.
— Photo: Public domain, CDC, Amanda Mills