The national Walk & Roll to School Day is Wednesday, October 4, and students from Jefferson Elementary, New Ulm Middle School, St. Anthony and St. Paul are encouraged to participate. This annual event is celebrated around the world, aiming to encourage kids to be active, walk to school, and have fun.
Volunteers and community leaders will accompany students on their morning walk by leading Walking School Buses. Parents are encouraged to walk with, or drop off their child off, at one of the following locations before the departure time:
- Turner Hall parking lot, 102 South State Street: 7:30 a.m. departure
- New Ulm Medical Center lower clinic parking lot, 1324 5th Street N: 7:30 a.m. departure
- Lincoln Park playground, 718 S State S: 7:20 a.m. departure
Students and parents who live close to school are encouraged to walk and bicycle from home on their own as well.
The Heart of New Ulm’s Safe Routes to School Action Team shares the following safety reminders for drivers when children and others are out walking:
- Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing walkers to go around your car; this could put them in the path of moving traffic.
- In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to kids crossing the crosswalk or intersection.
- Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign.
- Take extra care to look out for kids in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas.
- Don’t honk or rev your engine to scare a person walking, even if you have the right of way.
- Never pass a vehicle stopped for people walking.
- Always use extreme caution to avoid striking people walking wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way.
For more information about Walk & Roll to School Day in New Ulm, visit tinyurl.com/Oct4WalkRoll.
Volunteers are needed to help supervise the Walking School Buses. For more information or to volunteer, contact Brie Taralson at [email protected].