International Walk to School Day is an annual event that promotes walking for several reasons:

– Physical activityWalk to School Day banner
– Teaching safe walking skills to children
– Awareness of how walkable a community is and where improvements can be made
– Concern for the environment
– Reducing traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools
– Taking back neighborhoods for people on foot
– Sharing time with community leaders, parents, and children

 

October 4, 2017 Walk to School Day

It was a drizzly morning, but that didn’t stop hundreds of good little troopers from walking to school! Over 1500 kids participated in the event from 7 Bartlesville schools. They walked from home, walked from a remote location, or walked laps in the school gym. Click on the figures below to see the participation rates from each school and a comparison of the past 3 years. Then scroll down to see pictures from this year’s event.

2017 Walk to School Participation Rates
Comparison of Participation Rates from 2015, 2016, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from the 2017 event!

(Click on the photo to view a larger image.)

Kids cross Madison Blvd. on their way to Hoover Elementary School.
Bartlesville Police Officer greets students as they walk to Hoover Elementary School.
Students walk down Madison Blvd. to Hoover Elementary School.
Kids walk to Hoover.
A family walks to Hoover.
A family walks to Hoover.
A Walk to School Day banner hangs at Wilson Elementary School.
Walking to Wilson Elementary School.
State Representative Travis Dunlap volunteers as a greeter at Wilson Elementary School.
A Ranch Heights volunteer waits for students to arrive and receive their bottle of water.
Bartlesville Fire Fighters greet students as they walk to Ranch Heights Elementary School.

In 2018, Walk to School Day
will fall on Wednesday, October 10.

We hope all Bartlesville elementary and middle schools will participate again — it will be the tenth year for Bartlesville participation!

Until then, KEEP WALKING!

Parents! As you walk with your child, remember that they learn by watching others. So use your best pedestrian behavior. The National Center for Safe Routes to School suggests that you consider these tips as you walk or bicycle with kids:

  1. Obey all traffic signs and signals.
  2. Choose routes that provide space to walk and bicycle and have the least amount of traffic and lowest speeds.
  3. Look for traffic at all driveways and intersections.
  4. If possible, cross at a crosswalk or at an intersection with a walk signal.
  5. Stop at the curb and look for traffic in all directions (left, right, left, to the front and behind). At an intersection, it is important to look in front and in back to check for turning vehicles. The second look to the left is to re-check for traffic that is closest to you.
  6. Wait until no traffic is coming and start crossing: keep looking for traffic as you cross the road.
  7. Walk across the road. Do not run.
  8. Wear reflective gear if it is dark or conditions limit visibility, such as rain or snow.
  9. Talk with your child about what you’re doing and why as you walk and bicycle.

For more information about the walk to school movement in the U.S., visit https://www.walkbiketoschool.org.

For more information about Bartlesville’s Safe Routes to School program, go to Safe Routes to School.

 

  • For an interactive map of streets and other features of Bartlesville go to GIS City Maps.