Each year, the National Center for Safe Routes to School celebrates an International Walk to School Day in October. Safe Routes Philly works with schools in Philadelphia to organize a
nd encourage Walk and Bike to School Day events throughout the City. This year, fifteen Philadelphia schools registered for the event that occurred last Wednesday, October 8. Safe Routes Philly provided Clif bars and/or “I Walked to School Today” to all schools that registered online.
- Bache Martin School, 2201 Brown Street
- John Barry School, 5900 Race Street
- GW Childs School, 1599 Wharton Street
- William Cramp Elementary School, 3449 N Mascher Street
- D. Newlin Fell School, 900 W Oregon Avenue
- A. D. Harrington School, 5300 Baltimore Ave
- Andrew Jackson School, 1213 S 12th Street
- Henry Lea Elementary School, 4700 Locust Street
- William H Loesche Elementary School, 595 Tomlinson Avenue
- John Marshall School, 4500 Griscom Street
- Samuel Powel School, 301 N 36th Street
- Spring Garden School, 1146 Melon Street
- John H. Taggart School, 400 W Porter Street
- Universal Creighton Charter School, 5401 Tabor Road
- Francis E. Willard School, 1930 Elkhart Street
A few highlights from the event:
Parents of students at Bache Martin Elementary School located in the Fairmount neighborhood organized meet-ups at five different intersections around the school. Each location had a parent volunteer lead a group to school. Philadelphia City Councilman-at-Large Bill Greenlee walked to school with one of the groups. Check out the Bache Martin Home & School Association’s Facebook page for some photos from the event.
Families of students at Lea Elementary School in West Philadelphia met at Barkan Park and formed a walk/bike/scooter/stroller train along Spruce Street to school. District 3 Councilwoman Janee Blackwell greeted the students with a smile at the school where she once taught.
Staff volunteered to escort students from three key intersections around Francis E. Willard Elementary School in Port Richmond. Students were joined by their parents to bike and walk to school.