Walk, Bike & Roll aims to get students moving

Promoting healthy, lifelong activities for students by increasing daily physical activity is the goal of the Walk, Bike & Roll to School Event in Rice Lake set for Wednesday, May 8.

Local students will join thousands of students across the country to walk, bike, rollerblade, skateboard or scooter to school to celebrate the joy of active commuting while building a sense of community and school spirit.

Safe routes will be coordinated for students attending St. Joseph’s School, the elementary schools, the middle school and the high school. Starting locations, times and routes to the schools are as follow:

• St. Joseph’s School students will meet at Tate Park, which is behind the Dairy Queen on Ann Street, between 7-7:15 a.m. They will leave for their school at 7:20 a.m., traveling along the Wild Rivers Trail to Marshall Street.

• Students attending Hilltop Elementary School, Rice Lake Middle School and Rice Lake High School will meet at the Red Cedar Church between 7-7:15 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., the students on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades or scooters will begin riding toward school (using the sidewalk) on Allen Street, then turn left onto Royal Crest Drive, followed by a right turn on High Street, then turn right on Cameron Road, and continue to the schools. At 7:20 a.m., the walkers will begin walking to school along the sidewalk on Allen Street then turn left onto Cameron Road.

• Tainter Elementary School students who are participating will meet at the Harbor Freight parking lot between 7-7:15 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., the students on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades or scooters will leave. At 7:20 a.m., students who are walking will begin their commute to school along Lemler Road to Kern Avenue.

• Students attending Haugen Elementary School will meet in the parking lot of the Village Hall between 7-7:15 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., those on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades or scooters will begin commuting to school along Main Street, then turn right onto Broadway Street and continue on Fifth Street. At 7:20 a.m., the walkers will begin walking to school.

Volunteers will assist students at intersections along each of the commutes. A bus will transport parents and guardians who walk to school with their students back to their vehicles at the starting location.

Parents can stop by the participating schools anytime between 7:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to pick up bikes, scooters or skateboards. If parents are not able to come during those times, other arrangements can be made by contacting the school.

Motorists are advised to be alert in school zones and other areas where students may be present. See more at walkbiketoschool.org.