About 200 people joined together Wednesday morning in Jefferson for National Bike to School Day.

The program was started by Greene County Elementary Physical Education Teacher Sean Thompson with the intention of having kids bike a safe route from the south Hy-Vee parking lot all the way to the elementary school before the school day begins. Thompson mentioned that in today’s world with the internet and gaming services, kids are gravitating more towards that as entertainment instead of being outside and doing physical activities like biking. He explained why it is important for kids to do that.

“It’s important for their health, you know just keeping things healthy; exercising (and) keeping their heart rates up, and just it helps with their learning, actually, in school.”

This was also part of Thompson’s unit for the students about biking in general, along with earlier in the week when the fourth graders each received a free helmet from the Kiwanis Club and some of those students also got a free bike from Jefferson Telecom. Tim Buenz is the grant coordinator for the bike helmets with the Kiwanis Club and he described what he liked about the National Bike to School Day.

“Well, it’s a lot of fun. It doesn’t last very long because it doesn’t take them long to get from Hy-Vee, down the bike trail to the elementary (school). But I think one of the coolest things is the number of parents and other siblings that bike along, even middle school kids that have brothers and sisters here, will bike along and ride the trail, and go out to the middle school from the elementary. I think it’s kind of become a family event.”  

Principal Audrey Hinote thanks Hy-Vee for donating bananas and water for the riders, the Jefferson Kiwanis Club for controlling traffic at the intersections, the Jefferson Police Department for escorting the riders along the route, and the local businesses and everyone else who cheered on the cyclists. She added that it was extra special as Thompson’s family surprised him for his last ride as the lead, as he will be retiring at the end of the school year.