CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7456

FOR RELEASE: May 24, 2010

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

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Governor M. Jodi Rell has officially proclaimed May 26, 2010 as “Walk It Bike It to School Day” to encourage healthy and active lifestyles in children by walking and biking to school in a safe environment. 

The proclamation states, “Children may be safer and more active if communities took steps to make pedestrian safety and bike safety a priority.” The official proclamation also states, “Children, parents, and community leaders around Connecticut should join together to walk to school and evaluate walking and biking conditions in their communities.”

“We are so pleased that Governor Rell has proclaimed May 26th Walk It Bike It to School Day,” said Connecticut Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Sharon Okoye, “Community members and leaders should use this day as a first step in getting involved to make walking and biking to school a safe mode of transportation for our children.”

Connecticut classrooms have been doing their part to increase awareness of walking and biking to school by participating in the Walk It Bike It to School Connecticut! Contest, which began in October 2009.  The contest, sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Program, challenges kindergarten to eighth grade classrooms to log in the most mileage walked and/or biked to school.  Twenty classroom teams have been logging their miles online at www. walkitbikeitct.org  until the contest ended on April 16, 2010.

As a result, the winning classroom, Room 246 of Moylan School in Hartford, logged in mileage equivalent of over four times the distance around the state of Connecticut, 1,720 miles.

Two classroom teams from Ridge Road Elementary School in North Haven took second and third places.  Classroom team, Annino’s Awe-inspiring 4’s, logged in 1,629 miles, while Pavkov’s Priceless 4/5’s, logged in1,273 miles respectively.

All three winning classrooms will be honored with a ceremonial walk up the Capitol steps on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 10 am. There will also be a demonstration of the bike-powered blender, where students will create healthy smoothies using pedal power.

For additional event information, contact Meghan Burns at meghan.burns@adamsknight.com  or 860-676-2300 x133. General information on the Safe Routes to School program is available at the Connecticut SRTS website: www.ctsaferoutes.org.  For additional program information, contact Sharon Okoye at Sharon.okoye@ct.gov or 860-594-2367.