Capitol Hill Schools Celebrate Walk-to-School Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Contact:  Suzanne Wells, m.godec@att.net

Capitol Hill Schools Celebrate Walk-to-School Day

Come Celebrate with Us at Lincoln Park and See the Role Walking to School Can Play in Student Health and Safety

Washington, DC- On Wednesday, October 3, 2012, at 7:30 a.m., students from thirteen schools (Brent Elementary, The Capitol Hill Cluster School (Peabody Early Childhood Center, Watkins Elementary, and Stuart Hobson Middle School), Capitol Hill Montessori@Logan, Eastern High School, Eliot-Hine Middle School, J.O. Wilson Elementary, Ludlow-Taylor Elementary, Maury Elementary, Miner Elementary, Payne Elementary, School-Within-School@Logan Annex, and Tyler Elementary) will gather at Lincoln Park (13^th & East Capitol Streets, SE) to celebrate International Walk-to-School Day and the simple act of walking to school.  The Walk-to-School Day event at Lincoln Park will be the largest in Washington, DC.  By 8:30 a.m., everyone will be walking to their respective schools in order to arrive on time!

The Walk-to-School event at Lincoln Park will feature guest speakers Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and Chef Alli Sosna.  Fitness coach Rita Floyd and running coach Kathy Pugh will get the crowd moving, and the Maury and Miner cheerleaders will perform.  There will be food provided by Revolution Foods, Long Meadow Farms, and Clif Bars.  Whole Foods is donating bags and DC Water is supplying water bottles.  Coffee will be provided for the adults (bring your own mug to help cut down on waste).  The Capitol Hill Community Foundation is generously supporting the event, and the Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization is organizing the event.

Walk-to-School Day raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasizes the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment.  The event builds connections between families, schools and the broader community.

Now in its 14^th year, this one-day event in the U.S. is a part of an international effort in more than 40 countries to celebrate the many benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school and to encourage more families to consider getting out of the car and onto their feet on the way to school in October.  In 2011, Walk-to-School Day was celebrated at more than 4,000 events across the United States.