Thank you everyone for your efforts to make Minnesota’s 2022 Walk to School Day a success! We had over 160 schools registered (and even more participating) from around the state and many of you took photos and posted to social media for the Minnesota Safe Routes to School Walk to School Day Photo Contest.
Those photos have been reviewed and we’ve selected a winner!
Congratulations to Riverside Elementary who captured so many beautiful moments during their walk to school day event, as their “rainy October morning quickly turned into a beautiful morning for Walk to School Day! Riverside Elementary students and staff had a fun morning on their way to school, even Slider, the mascot of Rochester Honkers Baseball came along!” We loved how this photo captures the true joy of riding a bicycle!
And while we loved smiles in Rochester, we’d be remiss not to mention some of our other favorites coming from previous Walk to School Day Photo contest winners in Duluth and Minneapolis:
Congdon Park Elementary School (Duluth)
Congdon park students came out in full force and we really enjoyed seeing this greeting line making arrival at school feel like winning the Super Bowl! Way to go, Congdon!
Hiawatha Howe Elementary School (Minneapolis)
How great is this Crossing Guard dressed as a banana who is helping students safely cross the street on this Bus Stop and Walk at Hiawatha/Howe Elementary in Minneapolis? We loved it!
Crossroads Elementary Montessori and Science Schools celebrated Walk and Bike to School Day with its 500+ students by holding a Bus Stop and Walk event. It was festive and fun, with teachers dressed in costumes, music, and lots of support from parents/caregivers, PTA, St. Paul Fire Department, and St. Paul Police Department LECPA program.
This photo captures the energy of the Elton Hill school principle, Steven Willman, greeting kids as they came through the cross walk at Elton Hills for Walk to School Day. Several of the staff were out greeting kids as they came to school to celebrate walking. Parents made comments about parking a few blocks away and walking with their children to be a part of the event even if their children didn’t live close to school. Kids seemed to enjoy having that extra time with their parents and were happy to be participating as well! Classes throughout the day headed out to walk around the school so that all students could participate in celebrating the day!
On October 6th, 2021, the City of Foley, Benton County Public Health, and Foley Public Schools teamed up to host the 5th annual Walk to School Day event, which included 70+ children who participated. The event had two walking school bus locations (on different sides of town) where children could meet up to walk with adults to our common meeting area, the Gustavus Adolphus Church. Children were also encouraged to walk even if they did not meet up at one of the two walking school bus locations. We had law enforcement from the Foley Police Department present to assist children in crossing Highway 23, which separates many family homes from our schools. The Foley Fire Department was also at the event and even brought one of their fire trucks for children to take a group photo in front of. Others who were at the event included one of our Benton County Commissioners and the Mayor of Foley. We passed out goodie bags to all of the participants, which included the SRTS zipper pulls, stickers, and bookmarks, as well as a water bottle, toothbrush kit, beach ball, crayons, and coloring book. One of the school staff mentioned to me that “The Walk to School Day event is a great tradition for Foley Public Schools, which helps children get some energy out before the school day, preparing them for learning.”
Congratulations to everyone on successful Walk to School Day events, and a great photo contest!