Walk to School Day 2016: Nine Woodbridge Schools Participate

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Students who hoof it will join some 4,000 schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Woodbridge's nine elementary school participants: Kilby, Lake Ridge, Antietam, Springwoods, Kyle R. Wilson, Fitzgerald, Rosa Parks, Rockledge and McAuliffe.

Representatives of the schools as well as parents will be celebrating and helping the pedestrian exercise — a first, for some students.

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.

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