Students participate in annual winter walk to school day

DULUTH, Minn. — It was a frigid morning for those students participating in the annual winter walk to school day.

On Feb. 5, schools across the state of Minnesota encouraged students to walk or bike to school if able, instead of their usual mode of transportation. Congdon Park Elementary was one such school, and had many families who lived close by the school participate, braving the cold.

School officials and Duluth’s city council president say these walk to school events can give students the confidence to walk to school by themselves, or with a few friends. Plus, it’s a way for families to teach their children safety tips when crossing streets, and a healthy way for the kids to be active.

“This is so important for our city,” said Terese Tomanek, president of the Duluth city council. “It is important for sustainability, it is important for exercise, and it’s really important that the people in our city keep their sidewalks clear. It’s called Minnesota snow nice, so that students could walk without having to walk in the street. Really important for the safety of our students.”

“We really, really appreciate the staff members and the parents that put this together, as well as everybody else from the community,” said John Magas, the superintendent at Duluth public schools. “We’re really focusing on safe routes to school. We have a safe routes to school coordinator, and we also focus on biking and walking, and just making sure that kids have healthy opportunities for getting to school”

A reminder that Superior St. has been reduced down to 20 miles per hour outside of Congdon Park Elementary.

The city is also looking at more ways to make Duluth more walkable to promote pedestrian safety.