SOUTH TAMPA, Fla. — Wednesday is National Walk to School Day and in the city of Tampa, nearly 200 students celebrated by walking and biking into Grady Elementary School.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was there to greet kids and take pictures with them as they walked in.
Castor announced a new mural that will be painted in the main crosswalk at South Grady Avenue and West Morrison Avenue for kids at the school.
There are several other crosswalks across Tampa that are painted the same way, and the goal is to encourage kids to be more active and walk to school.
Sidewalk Stompers, an organization that works closely with local schools and government officials to create safer walking conditions for children, said 31.3% of children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese.
“It used to be half the people going to school the kids going to school walked,” said Emily Hinsdale with Sidewalk Stompers. “That was in the 50s and 70s, even into the ’80s — a lot of the parents who were here today grew up walking to school! However, less than 13% walk now.”
But it’s also used as a way to grab the attention of drivers. Sidewalk Stompers said while one child may not get the attention of drivers, a group of 20 will. They refer to that as a "walking school bus."
“It makes it fun, something that maybe used to be scary, crossing the street is now a fun thing to do,” said Alex Henry, the City of Tampa Mobility Department Vision Zero Coordinator. “And also, it signals a big alert to drivers, there is something different going on here. I need to look out for students that may be crossing the street.”
Parents love the idea of their kids getting out into nature and spending quality time with friends as they walk into school.
"It's good for the physical fitness of children, getting out and moving and walking, and it's also good for the environment too. It stops the fumes from getting into the atmosphere," said Keith Franzese, with his son Roman by his side.
The city, community and schools have partnered with Sidewalk Stompers since 2019 with the “Crosswalks to Classrooms” project to turn Tampa area crosswalks into bright and colorful works of art.
Since the start of that partnership, Grady Elementary has nearly doubled the number of students that walk and bike to school.
“It’s really cool, it’s a really cool initiative,” said Addison Davis, the Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent. “It stops our car line from getting really backed up. It just really creates that holistic part of what the greater community inspires to become. I just build that camaraderie I’m on the community and the parents of the caregivers, and it brings us closer as we continue that community within the district."
