Maggie Voedisch is joined by Selby Dorgan, left, manager of health promotion/education at Richland Public Health, and Karyl Price, the agency’s Creating Healthy Communities project coordinator, before Voedisch’s statewide presentation Wednesday morning.
Local health departments throughout Ohio learned today that Sherman Elementary School second- and third-graders are safely pedaling their way to physical fitness.
Adaptive physical education teacher Maggie Voedisch described Sherman’s springtime bicycle program during the Ohio Department of Health’s weekly statewide conference call to more than 100 local health departments statewide. While Voedisch spoke by telephone from Richland Public Health on Lexington Avenue, call participants could see photos of Sherman students on their bicycles and some of the safety posters they created via an Internet connection.
Karyl Price, Richland Public Health’s coordinator of the Creating Healthy Communities project, introduced Voedisch on the telephone linkup.
“I work with many sectors of the community, including schools, to increase opportunities for physical activity,” Price said. “Richland Public Health partners with Sherman Elementary School as they put into place new practices and curriculum that will help their students develop lifelong healthy behaviors.”
Voedisch outlined scope of “Pedaling for Your Future,” a five-week bicycle skills and safety unit. Class time provides 20 minutes for safety instruction and 20 minutes for riding.
“It is designed to align with Ohio Department of Education standards, promote physical activity in and out of school and achieve and maintain health-enhancing levels of physical fitness,” she said.
Second-graders learn basic riding skills, including hand signals, balance, steering and traffic space awareness. Safety instruction encompasses proper fit of helmets, traffic signs and checking the ABCs – air, brakes and chains – before riding.
“The culminating activity for second-graders in the bike rodeo held during the morning at school,” Voedisch said. “There are six stations set up with different skills being showcased.”
Meanwhile, third-graders increase their skills and gain a greater awareness of responsibility while riding in the community.
Voedisch told her listening audience that third-graders complete the five-week course with an eight-mile ride on the B&O Trail. They ride four miles one way, take a water break, then ride four miles back before enjoying a sack lunch.
“This outing allows students to demonstrate understanding of the personal responsibility to the community when riding a bicycle,” she said.
Voedisch said several sponsors have contributed to the success of Pedaling for Your Future, including a $1,000 donation from Meijer for the purchase of 30 bicycles. The Cap Place gave $500 for the bicycles.
Helmets were provided by Richland Public Health, a Richland County Foundations Connections grant, the Kiwanis Club of Mansfield and the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Baumgardner Appraisals donated five sets of training wheels.
Joe Mazzola, director of ODH’s Office of Public Affairs, moderated the statewide broadcast. He praised the work of Sherman Elementary and Richland Public Health.
“This is a really unique partnership and program. Thank you for everything you’re doing there in Mansfield,” he said.