Hillside students skip the bus and walk to school

On October 3, many Hillside Elementary School students took a break from riding the bus to instead stretch their legs and walk to school in recognition of International Walk to School Day.

Students, family members and even a few four-legged friends strolled from as far away as Morgan Avenue and the Hexam Gardens neighborhood to the school on Cornelius Avenue where they were greeted by Principal Shireen Fasciglione, teachers and staff. Representatives of the Cornell Cooperative Extension provided fresh apples for student walkers to snack on when they arrived.

Students and their families received safety packets from Schenectady County Traffic Safety before the event to reinforce traffic safety rules. For additional safety and to increase visibility for the event, volunteers with balloons were stationed at the primary crossing areas for Hillside school, including the intersections of Cornelius Ave. and Union St., Van Antwerp Rd. and Plum St. and Van Antwerp and Grand Boulevard.

Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

The Hillside Elementary PTO in cooperation with Schenectady County Traffic Safety and the Cornell Cooperative Extension organized the walking event. In the U.S., International Walk to School Day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.
 

(October 2007)