Ernest Hemingway STEAM School, Ketchum If You Can!
When your school mission statement is “to provide all children a safe and supportive learning environment in which students can explore their creativity, take intellectual risks, and reach their full potential as individuals, as learners, and as respectful, contributing members of our global society” it’s not surprising that the community steps up to fund an All Kids Bike Learn-To-Ride Program for the school to get kindergartners on two wheels and quickly learning a lifetime skill.
The community in Ketchum, Idaho believes in its school system and believes strongly that riding a bike belongs right up there with reading, writing, and arithmetic. Individuals, families and local businesses all donated to the Ernest Hemingway STEAM School fundraising page hosted on All Kids Bike’s new crowdfunding platform. Within two short months, the community’s efforts made learning to ride a reality for its students.
“STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking” Susan Riley, Arts Integrations Specialist states.
Hemingway’s PE Teacher Kerstin Flavin included a personal cover letter when she applied for the All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program. Her words perfectly share the benefits of all children learning to bike; we thought best to share her words with you.
“I am a first year PE teacher at a STEAM school and have been tasked with making PE more meaningful and interactive for the students. This donation will be used to create a new bike program in Physical Education classes at the Hemingway STEAM School. I will teach preschool and kindergarten students to balance on a Strider Bike and then progress to riding. I will also help students in first grade who didn’t have this opportunity last year in PE. Bike riding is an important part of our community. We have over 20 miles of paved bike paths in our valley as well as countless miles of mountain bike trails. It is important that children learn to ride safely in our community. This program would give all preschool students an introduction to balance bikes and all kindergarten students the opportunity to improve their balance skills and learn to ride a bike. In the future, I would like to start a bike club for younger students to teach them the rules of the road and bike safety.
Before and after school I will have the opportunity as a PE teacher to have clubs throughout the year. I would like to have a bike club to increase the number of opportunities available for students to practice riding. I am extremely interested in the All Kids Bike program and all the physical and emotional needs that can be met by riding. I know many students in our school who could benefit from the opportunity to really move their bodies throughout the day. I would work with classroom teachers as well as our special education teachers to provide brain break, bike break opportunities throughout the day for students to come and ride.”
It sounds like Kerstin’s task to make PE more meaningful is unanimously supported by her community through their donations to Hemingway’s bike program.
With the supportive and generous efforts of Kerstin’s community to Ernest Hemingway STEAM School’s fundraising page, their hopes of making bike education possible rang true. The Kindergarten PE Program will soon be delivered to Ketchum, ID so every child will learn to ride in Kerstin’s PE class. We look forward to getting an update from Kerstin and hearing about the success she is having with the All Kids Bike program and her students!
If your school is interested in applying for the All Kids Bike program contact one of our All Kids Bike staff today and help get your school on the way to teaching kids the lifelong skill of riding a bike!
