Hillview Middle Schools hosts 2nd annual Bike Rodeo

The 2nd annual 6th Grade Bike Rodeo took place over two days last week at Hillview Middle School. It was led by the Menlo Park Police Department with input from Danielle O’Brien, Hillview assistant principal, as well as Parents for Safe Routes. Parent volunteers and members of the community helped staff the event.

Commented InMenlo contributing photographer Gina Hart, a former Hillview parent, who took photos of the event:

“I had a great time attending and was so impressed by how serious the students took the activities and by how many volunteers there were. They even had bikes and helmets for students who didn’t have their own bike at school and extended the training to scooters, skateboards and even roller skates.

The bike rodeo took place during the sixth graders regular P.E. class. The curriculum, designed by Officer Mary Ferguson, taught key bike skills, including how to make a left-hand turn safely and how to use hand signals to communicate with others on the road, and also reinforced the importance of wearing a helmet, biking on the right side of the road, and other important safety guidelines.

The event was designed to help students bike more safely at a time when many are starting to bike independently around town but often don’t have much experience and/or training. Earlier in the year, there were several student bicyclists who were involved in collisions, underscoring the need for such training.

Menlo Park does not yet have a comprehensive bike and pedestrian education program in its school districts, so the hope is to establish events of this kind as the underpinnings for a more robust program in the future.

Photos by Gina Hart (c) 2018