Last July, technical assistance team member Clint Culpeper visited Douglas County to train coordinator Janelle Newton on how to perform bicycle safety training through the Jump Start program.
As of October, Janelle has implemented this training at two schools (McGovern Elementary in Winston and Coffenberry Middle School in Myrtle Creek). Janelle has taught over 400 students from 3rd to 6th grade on how to more safely ride their bikes. Many students brought their own bikes from home, and other students were able to use bikes from the Jump Start bike fleet. Students learned how to signal, do shoulder checks, and played safety games like Red Light, Green Light. After becoming familiar with their bike and the safety practices, they were able to head out into the community for a group bike ride around their school!
One student said that they “had only ever rode a bike with training wheels before” and while this was kind of scary it was “a lot of fun!”. PE teacher Brad Hirsch is thankful for the training, and excited to do more: “Thank you for the SRTS bike safety course. It’s been a great success for the kids; such an enormous confidence builder and ‘out of the comfort zone’ experience for many.”
Thank you to Janelle for helping students in Douglas County learn bike safety skills, and become more confident bike riders.
If you are interested in bringing bicycle and pedestrian safety curriculum to your community, you can find more information and fill out our interest form on our website. This training is completely free, and our team will work with you to make sure you get everything you need.