Students in Durham participate in last year's Walk to School event.
ROCKY MOUNT – School children in several communities east of Raleigh will hop on a bicycle or take a stroll to school on Wednesday as part of a statewide effort to stay healthy and safe.
The students, along with teachers, parents and community members, will be participating in the national Walk to School Day, which is Wednesday. In North Carolina, more than 250 communities and schools will take part in what organizers describe as an opportunity to teach children the importance of a daily dose of exercise and street safety.
The communities include 10 elementary and middle schools in the Twin Counties of the Rocky Mount area, plus a dozen more in Halifax County, and some in Nash, Wayne and Johnston counties as well.
Recent research shows children can achieve about a quarter of their daily recommended physical activity simply by walking or biking to school. According to the Centers for Disease Control and research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, students who get more physical activity have better academic success than those who do not.
One reason for Walk to School Day’s growing popularity is a partnership between the N.C. Department of Transportation and the N.C. Division of Public Health, resulting in the Active Routes to School project. Through their combined efforts, 10 regional Active Routes to School coordinators are collaborating to make it easier and safer for elementary and middle school students in North Carolina to walk and bike to their classrooms.
Here is a list of participating schools, by county, within NCDOT’s Division 4:
- Edgecombe County: Coker-Wimberly Elementary, G.W. Bulluck Elementary, G. W. Carver Elementary, Martin Millennium Academy, Phillips Middle, Princeville Elementary and Stocks Elementary
- Halifax County: Aurelian Springs Elementary, Belmont Elementary, Chaloner Middle, Clara Hearne Pre-K, Hollister Elementary, Inborden Elementary, Pittman Elementary, Scotland Neck Primary, Weldon Elementary, Weldon Middle, William L. Manning Elementary and William R. Davie Middle
- Johnston County: Cooper Elementary, Four Oaks Elementary, Glendale-Kenly Elementary, Micro Elementary, Powhatan Elementary, Riverwood Elementary and Riverwood Middle
- Nash County: Cedar Grove Elementary, Englewood Elementary and Middlesex Elementary
- Wayne County: Dillard Academy, Fremont Stars Elementary and North Drive Elementary
For more information and a full list of participating schools in North Carolina, visit walkbiketoschool.org.