Get up just a little earlier ... and walk to school

Mark Johnston, president of the PTA at Carpenter Avenue Elementary School in Studio City, says that 25 years ago 80% of kids walked to school and today 80% come by car.

No wonder then that on any morning, outside many schools, there are kids darting between parked cars, drivers making questionable U-turns and parking nightmares.

Except perhaps this morning. Hundreds of students walked to Carpenter today, taking part in International Walk to School Day.

"You can really experience life by walking," Johnston said as he and his third-grade son, Zachary, crossed a footbridge on the way to school, as they do every morning. It's a habit they developed when they lived in London, where walking to school is the norm, he said.

Caroline Keefer walked her children, thinking "how lovely" an experience it was. Daughter India was among the fourth-graders who are wearing pedometers for the next eight weeks to track how active they are and to see if they can improve. She had already walked 1,315 steps before 8 a.m.

(See more pictures here.)

This morning, walkers got stickers proclaiming, "I walked to school today with kids across the globe." And families were joined by L.A. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and school board member Tamar Galatzan. (Galatzan said either she or her husband walk most mornings the half a mile to Riverside Drive Elementary School in Sherman Oaks. Greuel said the trip to her son's school, Colfax, is too far.)

But even without all the hullabaloo, walking to school has lots of benefits, several parents said.

Exercise, a chance for parents and kids to be together, a time to talk, a way for kids to shake off early-morning grumpiness are all pluses, said Wendy Schiffer, whose daughter Molly is a fifth-grader.

Carpenter's students have to cope with crossing busy streets. Traffic and other issues make getting to school safely on foot a challenge for many children. The National Center for Safe Routes to School is hoping to make it easier.

Caryn Panec, one of the organizers of the Carpenter students' walk event, said the school hopes to make it a weekly event, with the idea that once families get in the habit, they might walk every day.

At least for today, the nearby Peets also benefited -- several moms stopped in on their way home.

-- Mary MacVean

Photos by Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[GregoryOR]

I agree completely. That's why I think it's such a shame that so many public school do not allow their students to walk or bike home from school.

My son is in 7th grade and we live 2 miles from school. He biked there and back every day over the summer for band camp. But during the school year, he must take the bus or be picked up.

This is all in the name of safety, even though we live in a very safe suburban neighborhood with sidewalks. This culture of excessive safety we live in is robbing our kids of their childhoods.

[Sean]

Back when 80% of children walked how much did the average backpack weigh?

[lauren]

I think this is a great idea. I always lived les than a mile from school, but enjoyed walking to and from school. There were definitly days that I begged my Mom to take me( and she didn't unless it was raining), but those nice foggy mornings are a good memory that I am grateful to have.

If you have a good backpack, the weight shouldn't be a problem? A good back pack will have straps that go scross your timmy to distribute the weight.

[Micaela]

Too bad these days I can't let my child walk to school even though he begs too since there are so many scary people out there. There are pedophiles on every street practically these days, & those are just the ones that are registered.

[Kim Smith]

It's unsafe to allow our children to walk to schools these days in fear of sexual preditors, the violence that occurs, gang activities. Me and my siblings walked to and from school everyday with a group of other kids from our nieghborhoods, we had fun doing so, but I do remember the honking, sexual taunting from the men around, I remember a nieghbor man who would vanish his penis out his front door, I must also say that my oldest child is a product from a relationship with a teachers aide. So things have being going on for numerous of years but gotten worse. I would not let my teenage daughters walk to school these days, some parents have to go to work, early, I've had to do so but the uneased feelings I had just knowing my girls had to walk to school and if they made it there, made me a nervous wreck. This is why alot of parents have given their children cell phones to stay in touch regardless of the school rules, I am one of those parents and don't care what the school rules are it's for my sanity. We also must educate our children about strangers if thay do have to walk to schools, how to look both ways in traffic until there is not one car in sight, talk with them sexual preditors in and out of schools and for our teenager true some do have crushes on teachers, and other staff,but we must remind them of the dangers in falling prey to that temptation also. It's all up to us as parents to our childrens eyes and ears

[Rev. Og Oggilby]

We ALL use to walk to school if not then it was the bus. And NO ONE had a backpack for books in fact that would have been a good way to get beat up. I too enjoyed walking to school