Students take a hike ... for food
By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer
Mahoney Middle School has 350 students, but only five took the bus to school last Friday.
The middle school participated in the international bike and walk to school day, and any student who made it to school on foot got a free breakfast and a special golden ticket. The first 90 students to arrive received an electronic “robo” pen, a pen that electronically opens and closes.
People’s Regional Opportunity Program’s Ashley Bracy came to oversee the students and was surprised by the large participation.
“Did you see that? Only one kid got off the bus,” Bracy exclaimed.
Mahoney teacher Jeff Kasaka wasn’t surprised by the high number that participated. Kasaka and his Reach students work closely with PROP and were responsible for the event. “We did surveys in all the classrooms,” said Kasaka. “We knew there was going to be a big turnout,”
Reach students, a group of students in the middle school who help organize many of the school’s health events, including setting up bike and walk to school day, and they are the “keepers of the Wii”. They set up the Nintendo Wii interactive video game system for any classroom that wins a Wii party in lieu of a pizza party. The students also have a garden, oversee recycling for the school, and are learning in the classroom how to be organizers and leaders in a real-world setting.
Bracy and PROP worked for two and a half weeks with the Reach students to help put on the bike and walk-to-school event.
“We donated the door prizes and put on an assembly last Friday (Oct. 2), the kids really took over,” said Bracy.
The Reach students and Bracy talked during the assembly about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and benefits of walking to school. At the assembly they also told the school that classrooms in each grade that had the most students walk to school would win a free Wii party catered with healthy snacks.
Kasaka’s students served an apple or banana, a granola bar and a cup of water at the free breakfast for bike and walk-to-school day. Each student who arrived at the school on foot also filled out a ticket for a drawing. More than 60 students will win a prize package that includes a first aid kit, water bottle, bike reflectors and a stress ball.
A handful of students still arrived by car, but more than 200 students made the walk in the cold, including the principal.
“I met some girls and we walked to school,” said Principal Kathryn Germani.
Many of the teachers parked their cars farther away from the school parking lot and walked to the school.
Students walked or biked from home, or if they lived too far away, the school set up three bus drop-off points where students and parent volunteers met and walked to school together.
“I walked so I could get a free breakfast, I usually get a ride,” said Mike Lippa, an eighth-grade student at Mahoney. But his healthy change may not be permanent: “It’s cold out, I probably wouldn’t do it again,” he added.
Staff Writer
Mahoney Middle School has 350 students, but only five took the bus to school last Friday.
The middle school participated in the international bike and walk to school day, and any student who made it to school on foot got a free breakfast and a special golden ticket. The first 90 students to arrive received an electronic “robo” pen, a pen that electronically opens and closes.
People’s Regional Opportunity Program’s Ashley Bracy came to oversee the students and was surprised by the large participation.
“Did you see that? Only one kid got off the bus,” Bracy exclaimed.
Mahoney teacher Jeff Kasaka wasn’t surprised by the high number that participated. Kasaka and his Reach students work closely with PROP and were responsible for the event. “We did surveys in all the classrooms,” said Kasaka. “We knew there was going to be a big turnout,”
Reach students, a group of students in the middle school who help organize many of the school’s health events, including setting up bike and walk to school day, and they are the “keepers of the Wii”. They set up the Nintendo Wii interactive video game system for any classroom that wins a Wii party in lieu of a pizza party. The students also have a garden, oversee recycling for the school, and are learning in the classroom how to be organizers and leaders in a real-world setting.
Bracy and PROP worked for two and a half weeks with the Reach students to help put on the bike and walk-to-school event.
“We donated the door prizes and put on an assembly last Friday (Oct. 2), the kids really took over,” said Bracy.
The Reach students and Bracy talked during the assembly about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and benefits of walking to school. At the assembly they also told the school that classrooms in each grade that had the most students walk to school would win a free Wii party catered with healthy snacks.
Kasaka’s students served an apple or banana, a granola bar and a cup of water at the free breakfast for bike and walk-to-school day. Each student who arrived at the school on foot also filled out a ticket for a drawing. More than 60 students will win a prize package that includes a first aid kit, water bottle, bike reflectors and a stress ball.
A handful of students still arrived by car, but more than 200 students made the walk in the cold, including the principal.
“I met some girls and we walked to school,” said Principal Kathryn Germani.
Many of the teachers parked their cars farther away from the school parking lot and walked to the school.
Students walked or biked from home, or if they lived too far away, the school set up three bus drop-off points where students and parent volunteers met and walked to school together.
“I walked so I could get a free breakfast, I usually get a ride,” said Mike Lippa, an eighth-grade student at Mahoney. But his healthy change may not be permanent: “It’s cold out, I probably wouldn’t do it again,” he added.
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