Walking Wednesdays return April 28

The Walking Wednesday program at Houlton Southside School will resume for the spring on Wednesday, April 28, the first Wednesday after vacation, and continue through June 9. This marks the eighth year that this award-winning program has been held at the school.
Begun in the fall of 2002, the program encourages students to walk or ride their bikes to school as an alternative to taking the bus or being driven in a car. The intent is to show children that walking can be a fun way to get to school while also getting exercise that can lead to better physical health and performance in their schoolwork. Students who must take a bus to school have the opportunity to walk a marked route behind the school. Parents are encouraged to walk with their children.
Walking Wednesday was recently awarded a $250 grant by the Safe Routes to Schools program, which is backed by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. The money will be used to purchase weekly motivational prizes for student participants who in the walking program. A grand prize will be awarded to one student at the end of the year.
With the startup of Walking Wednesday, students in the HSS Safety Patrol will again be stationed at crosswalks between HSS and Houlton Elementary School. A patrol member also will be located at the crosswalk where students who are driven to school at HSS are dropped off. Patrol members will be wearing lime-yellow belts and have special flags. Drivers are reminded to be extra cautious on Walking Wednesdays and to be alert at all crosswalks.
The Houlton Police Department, which helps monitor traffic on South Street, has asked that parents not drop students off at the intersection of Green and South Streets. This has caused traffic jams in the past and could potentially cause an accident or affect the safety of the children being dropped off. Students should be dropped off at another location in the school neighborhood, preferably in the driveway of someone you know, so that traffic is not affected.