Tucson school kicks off annual Walk n' Roll event

Crowds of students, parents and staff of Los Amigos Technology Academy gathered at seven spots in a southeast Tucson neighborhood Wednesday morning, then began making their way toward campus as they kicked off the eighth annual Walk ‘n’ Roll program.

The program, supported by the city of Tucson and Living Streets Alliance, was implemented at Los Amigos Tech Academy, 2200 E. Drexel Road, in 2014 to provide students and families with safe, active ways to get to school.

As some adults guided the kids at the side of the road, policemen stood on the streets to direct traffic. Motorcycle officers also escorted each group of students walking along Drexel and onto the campus.

“We know that there are a lot of benefits to kids for their physical and mental health when they’re active, especially in the mornings,” said Andy Bemis, senior project manager with the city of Tucson’s Department of Transportation.

“We know that kids who arrive at school after walking or biking are more alert and ready to learn at the beginning of the day.”

The school was in charge of running the program this year, while the community partners provided support by having chaperons on the routes and supplying the school with stickers and gift cards for the students, said Jessica Estrada, the Safe Routes coordinator for Living Streets Alliance.

Aside from the formal partnerships, Estrada said that it was a community effort all around.

“This is mostly run by the teachers. They’re the ones that get up early on Wednesdays … walking to school bus stops and start picking up the students,” Estrada said. “There’s also a lot of parents that help out and participate in walking with the group of students, so it’s always good to see other people getting involved.”

She noted that the Walk ‘n’ Roll program is expected to run every upcoming Wednesday though the end of November, or until the morning weather becomes too cold. The program is typically picked up again in late February, or when the weather warms a bit.

Typically, she said, the school sets up one biking route for students to ride the bikes to school. However, coordinators were unable to complete the necessary preparations regarding bike safety in time for the kick-off event.

Active bonding time

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Nancy Romero, a mother of a fourth grader and a fifth grader at Los Amigos, said her family had been participating in the school’s morning walks ever since the kids started attending the school.

She noted that the family lives farther away from campus than most others, so it wouldn’t be feasible to walk to school regularly without programs like the Walk ‘n’ Roll. On those mornings, she said, the family drives out to the designated “Walking Bus Stops,” then walks to school together.

“The kids really like it. They have a lot of fun. They just really like to walk. And we bring the little one, too, and he usually enjoys it,” Romero said, holding her sleepy toddler in her arms.

For 7-year-old Jesse Ortiz Jr., a first grader at Los Amigos, it was his second year participating in his school’s Walk ‘n’ Roll program with his two parents by his side. He said he enjoyed those mornings, mainly for the rewards that he received upon arriving at school.

“I like that you get to get a sticker and you get a prize,” he said, noting that the prize is usually a surprise, while the sticker serves as proof that he walked to school.

On regular days, his parents Jacquelyn Bustamante and Jesse Ortiz take turns driving him to school, but it was nice to have Wednesday morning walks to look forward to.

“It helps him feel more a part of the community because his brother used to do it, too. He used to ride his bike,” his father said.

Bustamante added: “It’s nice with the fresh air. I just wish we had more of a sidewalk area for them, but other than that, it’s nice.”

Bemis of the city of Tucson’s Transportation Department said the Walk ‘n’ Rolls also served for his department to become more aware of the infrastructures needed throughout certain parts of the city.

“As you can see, our city doesn’t necessarily always have a connected sidewalk network, or sometimes there’s wide streets that are challenging to cross on foot,” he said. “So programs like this actually help us become aware of those deficiencies and prioritize them for improvements.”