Every spring, third and fourth grade students in Pratt have the opportunity to participate in a Bicycle Safety & Fitness course sponsored by the Pratt Health Foundation. This program was started in 1996 with a Kansas Health Foundation grant and the program has been offered ever since.

This program teaches students:

• the rules of the road
• how to use hand signals
• safe riding habits
• the benefits of physical activity
• how to use a bicycle helmet

Students go on a bicycle ride for about 30 minutes for two days a week with DeWayne Bryan, Executive Director of the Pratt Health Foundation. Southwest students ride on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Haskins students ride on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sacred Heart and Skyline students are also invited along on the bike rides as well.

After the initial lessons are taught, the students go on a specially designed three-mile ride through Pratt. Each route has a “killer hill’ to challenge the muscular development of the students. The bicyclers are followed by the staff of the Pratt County Health Department in case of emergency or mechanical breakdown. Community Service Coordinator Peggy Lee and selected helpers, watch the traffic when the group crosses busy intersections.

In all, there have been 317 students who have participated in the Bicycle Safety & Fitness program. Each student receives a participation certificate. Those with perfect attendance receive an additional certificate for a new bike helmet from the Pratt County Health Department. Helmets are provided by the Foundation and the Pratt Pilot Club.

The Foundation concludes the program with a yearly drawing for a new bike. Students who did not miss more than three times or who didn’t receive more than three tickets could be entered in the drawing for the bike. Tickets were given to students who did not use the proper signals on their bikes and/or didn’t listen to instructions.

Bryan and his riders are out on the streets of Pratt again this spring. “Not only does this program encourage physical activity, but hopefully, it helps to decrease the number of head injuries by encouraging the use of helmets, decrease the number of bicycle/car accidents and encourages kids to exercise safely,” Bryan said. “It is also important that drivers use caution and look out for these kids who are out riding their bikes.”

Click here to see more news