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Walk Day Is A Routine For Mabry

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

PALMA CEIA - As students around the world participate today in the 11th annual International Walk to School Day, for those at Dale Mabry Elementary, it's just another stroll in the park.

Since participating in the event in 2005, staff members have encouraged students to come to school using alternative transportation such as bicycles on the second Wednesday of the month. About 300 of the 750 students at Mabry regularly participate. For today's event, organizers anticipate at least 500 students will take to the streets.

'It's a very social time. You'd be amazed at the number of moms and dads walking in packs with their children,' said PTA public relations chairwoman Shelley Sharp, who rides to the school with her second-grader, Allison Young, on a tandem bicycle almost every day. 'We're a real sight.'

Students and their families aren't the only ones participating. The slot on the school's bike rack next to second-grade teacher Cathy Aubin's bike is a coveted space.

On the special days, students arrive at school and head to the Try It Table, where they get a bottle of water and can choose from a fruit or vegetable they have never tasted.

Health and nutrition tips are included in the school's newspaper through a column written by Marcy Baker, a South Tampa pediatrician and PTA mom who encouraged the first Walk to School activity for Mabry three years ago.

Principal Scott Weaver said the school has been ahead of the game, instituting the activities before 2006, when the government required school districts nationwide to address nutrition, physical activity and student wellness. This school year, the state instituted a law requiring elementary students to take 150 minutes of physical education weekly.

'A lot of that is reflective of the community we reside,' said Weaver, adding that the morning walks give families a quiet time to communicate. 'Exercise is very important for our students and parents.'

The Walk to School Day is more than just a practice in wellness, Sharp said. It's a way to teach students how to conserve resources. Other conservation practices include the institution of a patrol that monitors energy usage, such as lights blazing in an empty classroom. Recycle bins are in every classroom, and plastic bottles are collected in bins around the school.

'It's certainly about making good food choices, but it's also about the environment,' Sharp said. 'The fewer cars we have driving to Mabry, the better off our environment will be.'

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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