For three weeks in November, Redmond Middle School sixth-graders in Katy McCorkle’s fitness class learned about bike safety.

Forty BMX-style bikes/helmets were delivered to the school from the sponsoring local Cascade Bicycle Club. The curriculum included classroom as well as on-bike lessons. Students learned basic traffic concepts, such as stopping at stop signs, hand-turn signaling and how to avoid the most common accident types, such as riding out of a driveway without looking. The riders were are also taught the importance of wearing a properly fitted helmet.

Daily activities/courses were set up to teach the students how to ride with awareness/balance and safety. Twelve students that were non-riders at the beginning of the unit became riders. As a culminating activity, two of the Redmond Police Department motorcycle officers gave a one-day in-school “field trip.” They enlightened the students with information about safe biking on city streets. They also led the students through the challenge course officers must complete and pass to become a motorcycle policeman. The students loved the challenge.