Safety and helmets
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 24, 2016 2:19 PM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Safe Kids Coordinator Shelly Willis guides Torrie Holden, 9, through the bicycle rodeo course drawn out by Optimist Club volunteers Wednesday at Meadow Lane Elementary School. Helmets were given to over 100 fourth-graders who participated in bicycle safety training made possible by a grant from Active Routes to School.
It's fun riding a bike.
But it also requires skill and knowledge about being safe.
Fourth-graders at Meadow Lane Elementary School participated in the school's first bike rodeo Wednesday afternoon, taking their newfound wisdom on the road. Or at least the blacktop behind the school.
The school was the beneficiary of a grant providing a bicycle safety course taught by the school's physical education teachers and free bicycle helmets.
Danny Stanley, Jody Parker and Jamiyan Phillips spent the past three weeks teaching students in kindergarten through fourth grade lessons from the "Let's Go NC! A Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Skills Program for Healthy, Active Children" program.
The curriculum included lessons, activities and educational videos encouraging children to learn about safety habits.
Then fourth-graders were measured and fitted in February for helmets, in preparation for the bike rodeo.
This is not the first time for a safety event at the school, said counselor Michelle Gurley.
"Last October, some students at the school participated in National Walk to School Day in which the pedestrian portion of the safety skills program was presented," she said. "They practiced their skills by crossing the street at the crosswalk connecting Meadow Lane Elementary to Greenwood Middle."
The bike rodeo was exciting and fun, but also steeped in safety.
"Just in case you want to ride a bike safely without getting hurt," said fourth-grader Valerio Wallace.
"You always follow the rules of the road, just like a car," chimed in classmate Karishma Pearson.
They and fellow fourth-grader Anthony Bradley said they enjoy riding bikes and do it often.
Valerio says he rides in his neighborhood and sometimes on family trips, they find a bike trail to navigate.
"I ride my bike to school every single day," Karishma said.
"I used to do that," said Valerio.
"I ride my bike in my neighborhood and at my grandmother's house sometimes," Anthony said.
The students said they knew some of the safety guidelines but the study reinforced the lessons.
Like reminding them of the importance of hand signals, Karishma said, demonstrating.
"(Turning) right is where you make a right angle," she said, bending her left arm, hand raised upward before straightening it and lowering it slightly. "Stop is where your hand is right down here."
"And left is like this," Valerio said, extending his arm straight out.
The classmates said they were excited about putting into practice what they had learned.
"It's like a little test to see how much we learned and developing bike skills and safety so we won't be hit by a car because every year hundreds of kids get hurt by cars," Anthony said.
"It's fun because it's the first time of Meadow Lane doing a bike rodeo," Karishma said.
Valerio said he appreciated getting to be outdoors and taking a break from the classroom.
"And it's also good exercise," Karishma added.
Their physical education teachers said they were proud of the students who had gone through the class, which had its eye-opening moments.
"I think the thing that I found out was that most of them just look at it (a bike) as a toy," Ms. Parker said. "They learned that when they're on the road, there's laws because the bicycle is considered a vehicle. They have to have a helmet."
Stanley said he was surprised when he asked how many students rode bikes and then how many wore a helmet. The two numbers did not match, he said.
After the sessions wrapped up, though, he said he was more confident that the awareness -- that anyone under the age of 16 must wear a helmet when riding on a public road -- was instilled.
"This program was originally for fourth grade. We did it in every grade in health class," he said.
"Every student in this school has gone through it."
Only fourth-graders participated in the bike rodeo, he said, but hopefully if grants are available in the future, the program might become a staple at the school.