Bike to School Day set for Wednesday

photo by: Richard Gwin

Ben Lyles, 6, a kindergarten student at Pinckney Elementary, was among those who biked to school Wednesday, May 6, 2015, on national Bike to School Day.

If the spring weather isn’t motivation enough, this week offers another good reason to choose the bike over the car for the ride to school. The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department is encouraging students to walk or bike to school on Wednesday in celebration of National Bike to School Day.

Lawrence elementary and middle schools will be hosting special events for Bike to School Day such as park-and-rides and bicycle rodeos. Lawrence school board members, city commissioners and firefighters have also been invited to join in the activities throughout Lawrence.

The health department said regular exercise has many benefits, among them: stronger bones, muscles and joints and reduced risk of conditions like Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, research has shown exercise before school helps children arrive focused.

“Physical inactivity is at crisis proportions in America,” said Michael Showalter, health promotion specialist. “In the coming decade, preventable chronic conditions are expected to overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death in Kansas. The research is clear that students who walk or bike to school will be healthier and perform better in school.”

The health department, school district and several other organizations have joined together for the “Be Active Safe Routes” initiative, which works to make school routes more accessible by foot and bicycle. Safety tips and maps of neighborhood routes to schools are available on the “Be Active Safe Routes” website.


Second-graders in Shane Heiman’s class at New York Elementary School shared their art and writing skills with the community for May Day. Students created May baskets by decorating plastic pitchers and placing a pinwheel in the spout. The pitchers were filled with small gifts such as flower seeds, candy and bubbles.

The students delivered the May baskets to local businesses — the Journal-World among them — on Monday with an illustrated poem and letter. The letter said the students decided to make the May baskets as part of their #DayItForward project, and encouraged businesses to “#DayItForward on to another business or person.”

Second graders from New York Elementary decided to #DayItForward this morning and dropped off a hand-painted May Day…

Posted by LJWorld.com on Monday, May 2, 2016


On to other special visitors, a couple of Kansas University basketball players recently made a stop at Sunset Hill Elementary. KU guards Frank Mason III and Devonté Graham visited the school to read aloud to students on Thursday.


In other news and notes for Tuesday:

– This week is National Teacher
Appreciation Week and today is
National Teacher Day.

– Kindergarten students at Broken Arrow
Middle School will perform their
music program at 6:30 p.m. The
Prairie Park Elementary PTA meets at
6:30 p.m.

– The Sunflower Elementary PTO
meets at 7 p.m.

– Third-grade and kindergarten students
at Sunset Hill Elementary will
perform their music program at 6 p.m.

– The sixth-grade band and orchestra at
Southwest Middle School will perform at 6 p.m.

– Senior Band Night will be held at
Lawrence High School at 7 p.m.


Lunch menu options:

Elementary school level

Main dish: Crispito with cheese; tuna sandwich; peanut butter and jelly with string cheese; chef salad with breadstick

Sides: perfect pinto beans, tomato salsa, frozen fruit cup, salad bar, milk

Middle school level

Main dish: Crispito with cheese; tuna sandwich; hamburger; peanut butter and jelly with string cheese; chef salad with breadstick; hamburger; BBQ ribette sandwich

Sides: perfect pinto beans, tomato salsa, frozen fruit cup, fresh fruit, salad bar, milk

High school level

Main dish: chicken strips with roll; veggie shaker; cereal with string cheese; parfaits with muffin; pizza; peanut butter and jelly with string cheese; chef salad with breadstick; daily sandwiches; deli bar

Sides: mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, salad bar, frozen fruit cup, fresh fruit, fruit sorbet, fruit juice, oven potatoes, milk

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