Gusties, students, and parents will be taking part in Walk to School Month this October.
St. Peter, Minn. – Despite the frigid temperatures on Wednesday morning, a multitude of Gustavus Adolphus athletes, coaches, and faculty took part in Walk to School Day – an annual event involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on select days through the month of October.
“It’s a great opportunity for the student-athletes and the Gustavus community to support the Walk To School program,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Laurie Kelly, who orchestrated the Gustavus Athletics Department’s involvement this year. “Despite it being a typical chilly Minnesota morning, it was a fun event to be a part of and a great way to start the day.”
Members of the Gustavus and St. Peter communities met at the Community Center early this morning. From there, half the group made the trek to South Elementary School, while the other half headed up the hill to North Elementary. Students, parents, and Gusties walked side-by-side for the duration of the 15-minute stroll that led to the front doors of the respective schools.
“You don’t see kids walk to school very often anymore, so I think this is a great way for us to not only interact with the community but to also promote a healthy habit,” continued Kelly. “We have some truly terrific role models on this campus and this was a great way to foster our relationship with young people in the St. Peter community.”
Walk to School Day helps 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. Today, thousands of schools across America and in more than 40 countries worldwide celebrate walking to school every October.
“There are two more Wednesdays left in the month to take part in this event, so I hope the turnout get better every week,” Kelly concluded.
In Minnesota alone, St. Peter is one of 66 cities and over 150 schools taking part in this year’s event. For more information on Walk to School Month, please follow the link below.