Peninsula students can walk to school Wednesday

MOSES LAKE - Even Peninsula Elementary School students who ride the bus will have the chance to walk to school on National Walk to School Day Wednesday.

Principal Sydney Richins said there will be four sites where kids can assemble before walking the rest of the way to school. Parents who usually drive their children to school can drop them off at one of the assembly sites.

The school is looking for adult volunteers to help shepherd the walkers.

Assembly spots will be the corner of Sycamore and Peninsula streets, the corner of Spruce and Schneirla streets, and the corner of Catalpa and Peninsula streets. The drop-off spot for bus riders who want to participate will be the parking lot of the El Sendero de la Cruz church.

The route will be marked, and the chaperones will be issued a safety vest and safety flag. Everybody will start walking to school about 8:15 a.m.

Richins said the goals include promoting physical activity among the kids, and showing them the best routes to school, the ones with the good sidewalks and crosswalks. Organizers also are trying to show parents and kids alternative routes to school, Richins said.

The idea is to show kids and parents how they can reduce congestion around the front door, she said. "Our goal is to kind of spread out," she said, with fewer pedestrians, cars and buses in the same space at the same time.

Walk to School is a national effort that began in 1997 and promotes the idea of physical fitness, as well as the idea of providing good walking routes to school. It was inspired by similar efforts in Great Britain.