Saturday, March 10, 2018
New Bike Club Starting at Irving Middle School
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| Scene from Falls Church bike club. |
Safe Routes to School Coordinator Sally Smallwood reports that students at Irving Middle School will have the chance during May to participate in an after school bike club to learn basic bike maintenance skills. The club will meet every Tuesday from 2:25 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. After school specialist Brooke Samuelson is helping to organize the club with help from the Safe Routes to School office.
There are opportunities for FABB members to help out on this effort. If you have experience with bike maintenance and would like to volunteer, please contact Sally at saferoutestosschool@fcps.edu. The club also could use a couple of bike stands; if you have one to donate or loan, please send Sally a note.
Each week students will work on a different part of their bike, learning about parts, changing a tire, adjusting the brakes, and cleaning and greasing the chain. Storage at Irving is an issue so students will need to bring their own bike. But, students may come to the club even if they don’t own a bike. The club tentatively plans to do some short rides at the end of each session to learn more about safe bike riding.
Labels: bike club, Irving Middle School, safe routes to school, srts coordinator
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Herndon Middle School Bike Shop Brings Bikes and Joy
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| HMS Bike Shop members |
Local students participating in Herndon Middle School’s after-school bike shop program last Saturday gave away 22 bicycles that they had repaired and prepared for neighborhood children who might not otherwise have a bike. The chilly Saturday morning was warmed by the pleasure of the recipients and the satisfaction of the young bike mechanics.
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| Two proud new bikers. |
The after-school bike shop this fall was run by Kelley Westenhoff with assistance from mechanic Matt Meyer (Green Lizard Cycling), mechanic Aaron Morgan (A1 Cycling), and Reston Bike Club member Ed Robichaud. Other volunteers included Pete Fox and Ken Thompson.
The students turned bikes donated by the community into “nearly new” condition with a combination of repair and cleaning. The students gained valuable bicycle maintenance and repair skills along with an appreciation for--and sense of accomplishment from--doing something for others.
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| Reston Bike Club helmet station. |
Reston Bike Club provided free helmets for the children whose parents brought them to HMS on Saturday for the giveaway.
Sally Smallwood, Fairfax County Public Schools Safe Routes to School coordinator, was on hand to run the new riders through a bike safety course, ensuring they start their biking journey with a better understanding of bike control and safety principles.
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| New rider learning the "ropes" of bike control and safety. |
During the coming spring semester in 2016 the students in the HMS bike shop plan to repair and restore even more bicycles with the goal of selling them to raise funds to support the program.
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| Happy owner of bike refurbished by HMS Bike Shop. |
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| Excited new rider. |
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| Bike Shop members and friends. |
Labels: bike club, fcps, herndon, reston bike club
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Falls Church HS Bike Club
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| Falls Church HS bike club members Austin Strand (Left) and Matt Quandt |
The club was started last year. Currently there are 5 regular members with up to 20 students attending some of the meetings. According to Andrew, "Three of the five regular members ride their bikes at least some of the time. There is a standard bike stand [rack] in front of the school." Several teachers also bike commute some of the time.
Andrew would also "like to find ways that we can offer repairs for students who ride or bring bikes to school in the near future." He also works at Phoenix Bikes. "I tried to model the bike club after Phoenix Bikes, including the earn-a-bike program where students can earn one of our donated bikes for themselves, a friend, or a family member after working in the shop for 25 hours and demonstrating basic bicycle repair skills."
"I have advertised on Freecycle and contacted several local condominiums or apartments for help in distributing the attached advertisement. We’ve had a slow but steady supply of donated bikes. We do depend on local donations for bicycles to work on. We try to fix the bikes we can, but strip others for usable parts. I recycle any frames or other metal parts that we can’t use."
Unfortunately, the club does not have rides since bicycle riding is listed as a "Prohibited Student Activity" by the Fairfax County Public Schools Risk Management office, along with such other activities as "Airplane or Helicopter Rides, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Rides, and Auto or Motor Racing". We contacted the Risk Management office and they indicated that if the permission were granted by the Activities and Risk Management offices and parents signed a release and the principal approved, a ride could be held.
If you would like to donate a bike to the Falls Church High School Bike Club, contact Andrew at zlatnika@gmail.com.
Labels: bike club, falls church high school
Monday, November 7, 2011
Herndon Middle School bike collection Nov. 7 & 8
Labels: bike club, herndon middle school
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bicycle programs at Fairfax schools
There are a few schools in Fairfax where students are encouraged to ride bikes. At Herndon Middle School bike racks are provided for kids who ride to school. Under the direction of three teachers, approximately 20 students are members of an after school club where they refurbish old bikes to give away. Articles in the Washington Post (From fixer-upper to someone's dream) and the Herndon Observer (Herndon Middle Gives Back, One Wheel at a Time) describe the program.Each Wednesday, about 20 middle school students meet in the school's Bike Shop to repair, repaint, and spruce up donated bicycles for needy children within the local community.
Hersh said the Bike Shop partners with A-1 Cycling, in Herndon, who help students obtain things like cables and tires in order to replace the bikes. A-1 Cycling also donates bike stands and other tools that are needed throughout the year, he said.
There are at least two other schools with bike programs. At Lanier Middle School in Fairfax, PE teacher Pam Clingenpeel sponsors an after school bicycle club where kids learn about basic bike maintenance, bicycle safety, street/trail bike etiquette, shifting techniques and basic skills of riding. Five after school sessions are being held this Fall.Hersh said the Bike Shop partners with A-1 Cycling, in Herndon, who help students obtain things like cables and tires in order to replace the bikes. A-1 Cycling also donates bike stands and other tools that are needed throughout the year, he said.
Candy Brown, Physical Education teacher at Centreville High School leads a mountain bike PE class. Students learn the ABC Quick Check (video), basic bike maintenance, bicycle safety, street/trail bike etiquette, shifting techniques and basic skills of riding. Ms. Brown is featured in a video about the Centreville program. Both schools received funds form the Virginia Dept. of Education to purchase new bikes.
We've previously mentioned successful Safe Routes to School efforts at four Vienna schools. And finally, Lynbrook Elementary School is one of only two schools in Fairfax to receive Safe Routes to School funds (Louise Archer Elementary School in Vienna is the other). If you know of other schools with bike programs, please let us know.
