Appleton East and Neenah's Hoover Elementary Gear Up for Bike Month
Contact: Jennifer Van Den Elzen or Ben Stumpf
Phone: 920-832-4452; 920-284-0917
May is National Bike Month! Celebrate this month by biking to work, school, the store, or just leisurely with your family.
Both schools are also partnering with local physical activity focused coalitions, the Fitness And Nutrition (FAN) Coalition and Walk to Win, and participating in an Active Schools initiative to get kids up and moving every day and to fight the rising problem of obesity in our nation and state. Active Schools focuses on environmental or policy changes that can be made in the school setting to help kids meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
“Bike to School Week is a great opportunity for students to get out and ride for fun, fitness or transportation,” said Ben Stumpf , of the Active Schools Grant Team at Appleton East.
Why is this important?
- Physical activity can help children improve their concentration, memory, and classroom behavior.
- Research shows that higher physical fitness is related to higher state academic test scores, higher attendance, and fewer negative school incidents.
- Half of
Wisconsin students are getting an F in physical activity recommendations – a grade no parent wants to see. - Children are increasingly being diagnosed with obesity-related chronic illnesses.
- More than 25% of
Wisconsin
What is being done?
Appleton East and Hoover Elementary are promoting physical activity in the classroom, at recess, at home, and before and after school. Students have the opportunity to learn the importance of eating healthy and being active.
Appleton East students and faculty who ride their bikes to school during the week of Monday, May 23 may be able to win prizes, including a bike from Chain Reaction Cyclery of Appleton. Free breakfast will be provided to all participants on Bike to School Day. East High School
Tips to help keep you safe while biking:
- Keep your bike in proper working order.
- Have your bike checked over by your local bike shop.
- Learn the routine maintenance that needs to be done on your bike.
- Always wear a helmet to protect your head in the event of a crash.
- Ride on the right side of the road, always in the same direction as other traffic.
- Ride as far to the right as practical, not as far right as possible. Practical means safe and reasonable.
- Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings.
- Look before you change lanes or signal a turn; indicate your intention, then act.
- Be visible and predictable at all times; wear bright clothing and signal turns.
About the Fitness And Nutrition (FAN) Coalition: FAN grew out of the Outagamie County Community Health Improvement Planning process, which identified nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention as priority health issues for our county. This collaboration strives to create environments that support and promote healthy eating, daily physical activity, and a healthy weight in the places we live, learn, work and play. We work to build capacity within our community to implement best, evidence-based and promising strategies, identify and enhance communication with non-traditional partners, and create opportunities for program sustainability. In addition to partnering with Appleton East High School
About Walk to Win: Walk to Win is an annual community walking program that has been in existence since 2002. The program is heavily promoted to area schools and businesses, but is open to all individuals 5 years of age or older, employed or residing in the counties of Calumet , Outagamie or Winnebago. All participants are challenged to walk 30 minutes a day at least 5 times a week over a 3-month period in the fall. This program is part of the solution to encouraging our citizens to engage in positive behaviors that impact their health. For more information, visit http://www.walktowin.org/.
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