The Town of Davidson Parks and Recreation Department announces Davidson Elementary School and The Community School of Davidson will join schools from around the world to celebrate “International Walk to School Day” on October 9, 2013.  Students will be walking and rolling to school along with parents, teachers, Davidson College students and athletes, and community leaders.

“Walk to School” events help create safer routes for walking and bicycling, and they emphasize the importance of increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment, and building connections between families, schools and the broader community. The Town of Davidson encourages all students to participate.  Students who regularly walk or bike are encouraged to take their normal routes to school as a part of the event.

Details for the event are listed below by participating school:

For Davidson Elementary, the event will begin with drop-off from 8:00-8:30 a.m. for kids, parents, and community leaders at the town green.  Upon arriving at the school, students will be checked in.  Each year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have a competition that ranks the number of participants from each school – Davidson Elementary has been close to the first place spot the past two years.  They are striving to be #1 in this year’s competition.

For the Community School of Davidson, the event will be held in a unique format, due to the distance that some families live from the school’s two locations.  Children will arrive at school as they always do.  Parents and children are encouraged to walk or bike, if they live close enough.  Once at school, every class will walk around the vicinity of the school, to represent walking/biking to school.

For more information on Davidson’s “International Walk to School Day,” please contact Leslie Willis at (704) 892-3349 or lwillis@townofdavidson.org.