BILLINGS — In Billings, there’s a different kind of school bus getting kids back and forth safely, and it is powered by some of the purest energy on the planet: our children and their desire to stay healthy and connected.
“The walking school bus, we pick up more kids through the neighborhood and we make stops along the way so kids can join at any point along the way,” says Jordan Teller, parent and Safe Routes to School volunteer and Highland Elementary school walking school bus liaison.
It’s “Walktober,” but for this volunteer her duty to get kids to Highland Elementary School via the walking school bus is daily.
“We pick them up and we have a little train of kids by the time we get to school,” says Teller.
“It’s just a great way to get kids active before they get to school. When kids come to school in high spirits they are definitely more eager to learn and be engaged,” says Highland Elementary Principal Justin Huck.
In fact, better academic performance is one of six reasons safe routes to school promotes the walking school bus idea. The reasons include better academic performance, traffic safety, saving money, healthier kids, community connectedness, and climate benefits.
“We walk to school every day of the week and in the winter we put our boots on and our snow pants on and we walk to school every day,” says Teller.
Unless it's 15 degrees or below, they are walking to school, but on this fall "Walktober" day the sun is shining and the Senior High Broncs are hyping up the program via the student council’s Walk with a Bronc partnership.
“We get to walk with them and it really brightens their day. They love to see the Broncs and the mascots Lucky and Lindy,” says Isabel McPherson, student body president at Billings Senior High School. “Having that relationship with elementary students like this is really important and it shows them what it means to be a part of the community.”
“It’s amazing, we couldn’t do it without the volunteers, there’s no way so we really appreciate all of our volunteers, the senior kids for helping us out this week too,” says Huck.
The group serves Yellowstone County and has a toolkit on how to start a walking school bus so more mornings can be filled with neighborhood friends, active bodies, and minds.
For more information on the Highland Elementary Walking School Bus, contact volunteer Joudan Teller teller.jordan@gmail.com. For more information on the toolkit to start a walking school bus at a school in Yellowstone County Montana, visit the local Safe Routes to School website.
