West Newton Elementary School will participate in Georgia Walk to School Day on Wednesday with a 9 a.m. ribbon cutting followed by walk/bike to school encouragement activities.
Students will gather at the nearby Safe Routes to School (SRTS) project cross walk for the ceremony. School staff and students will then follow a walk schedule outdoors or inside if the weather isn’t suitable.
Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Transportation’s SRTS Resource Center, Georgia Walk to School Day complements International Walk to School Day held each fall in October.
“Georgia Walk to School Day continues to be a flagship spring event for SRTS. We have so many schools participate year after year and welcome all of the schools participating for the first time,” said Patti Sistrunk, Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center Manager. “The Resource Center website and School Outreach Coordinators have great materials and tools to make events a success.”
West Newton along with four other nearby Newton County schools including Fairview Elementary School, Clements Middle School, Veterans Memorial Middle School and Live Oak Elementary School received pedestrian infrastructure improvements including wheelchair ramp construction, crosswalks, flashing beacons and striping upgrades. The desired outcome of the SRTS project was to enable and encourage a healthy, safe lifestyle for all students by walking and bicycling to school, as well as provide environmental benefits for the community within a two-mile radius.
This project was selected by the State Transportation Board as part of a statewide call for SRTS Infrastructure projects in 2011. An application for project funding ($572,000) gained input from the Newton County Board of Commissioners, school staff and parents. The Newton County Board of Education has an active SRTS program and this infrastructure will increase the number of K-8 grade students walking and biking to school.
For more SRTS and Georgia Walk to School Day information, contact SRTS East Central Georgia School Outreach Coordinator Taki Smith at 404.387.8952 or taki@saferoutesga.org
