Award Winning School Profiles
VACC Bike Friendly School Awards 2009/10
Lord Nelson Elementary, 2235 Kitchener, Vancouver, BC
Principal – Cathryn Falle, School Cycling Contact –Rob Wynen, parent; # of students - 385
With 25 regular bike commuters and over 75 occasionally biking to school Nelson has a very active Bike to School Week. At a school promotional Bike to School Day, all participating students received bike lights. Nelson also celebrates cycling by hosting bike parades with decorated bikes. In 2009 Nelson took part in the VACC/City of Vancouver, One Day One School program where all students in grades 3, 4 and 5 participated in a bike education and skills program. Nelson has also hosted VACC bike maintenance workshops at school for interested teachers, students and parents. Nelson has covered and secure bike racks for students.
Through the creation of a parent supported bike committee the school has worked effectively to address safety issues resulting in an added crosswalk. The committee works both with the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver School Board to bring about a more bike friendly school at Nelson Elementary.
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Bear Creek Elementary, 13780 -138th Ave., Surrey, BC
School Cycling Contact –Darlene Archer, teacher: # of students – 500
As an active participant in Bike to School Week, Bear Creek carried out a campaign to motivate students and school staff to bike to school. Posters were put up throughout the school, bike maps and information were given out and the VACC Bike to School Program was invited out to teach bike maintenance workshops to both students and teachers.
The Bear Creek School Bike Committee has been active for two years and has advocated successfully for the installation of a shower for commuter cyclists.
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L’Ecole Bilingue Elementary, 1166 West 14th Ave, Vancouver, BC
School Cycling Contact –Corinna Watson, parent; # of students – 470
With 5 large bike racks able to accommodate over 100 bikes the school has about 50 regular bike commuters with an additional 30 fair weather riders. During the annual VACC Bike to School Week the school focuses students’ awareness on cycling and cycling safety. Students are encouraged to ride and receive bike prizes during the week. L’Ecole Bilingue took part in the VACC/COV One Day One School Bike Skills and Safety Program in 2009. All students from grades 3 through 5 participated. The school hosted a VACC Bike to School Bikers’ Celebration to share information on safe cycling, receive bike maps, good food and prizes while learning to do a bike safety check.
Through the school’s bike committee new ideas are presented and volunteers work to improve traffic safety for walkers and cyclists. The committee promotes the benefits of cycling and has posted their safe routes to school map in the school while sending out information on safe cycling in school newsletters. The committee has added road markers to prevent cars from parking in the school’s no stopping zones allowing for safe bike arrival for students.
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Henry Hudson Elementary, 1551 Cypress St., Vancouver, BC
School Cycling Contact Person – Lisa Slakov, parent; # of students 250
Hudson has participated in the VACC/kCOV One Day One School Bike Safety and Education program for students in grade 3,4 and 5. Hudson also hosted a VACC Bikers’ Breakfast for students, parents and staff where they had refreshments, talked about biking to school, distributed bike maps and drew for bike prizes from donations from their local bike shop.
Hudson competed in their first ever Bike to School Week and had 18 members sign up. The Hudson parents’ Safe Routes Committee has issued mock tickets for traffic infractions in an effort to support safer biking and walking to school.
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Nootka Elementary School, Nootka Street, Vancouver, BC
School Cycling Contact Person - Ian Weniger, parent; # of students 550
Through the VACC/COV One Day One School Program, Nootka School provided bike skills and education for grades 3,4 and 5. Nootka School has one bike rack. School cycling advocates worked successfully with the COV to install new bike light buttons at the intersection of 18th and Renfrew St., a busy traffic area.
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West Point Grey Academy, 4125 W 8th Ave. Vancouver, BC
Independent School K – 12,. School Cycling Contact Person – John Thomas, teacher; # of students 850
For the past two years students and staff have been promoting cycling to school and now have 15 regular student bike commuters and an additional 30 occasional cycling commuters. Cycling to school is promoted through Earth Week and the VACC Bike to School Week.
An enthusiastic core of school cyclists has formed a bike committee to promote cycling and are working on ways to improve bike storage and safety on campus. The school now has shower facilities for bike commuters.
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St. Patrick’s Regional Secondary School, 115 East 11th Ave., Vancouver BC
School Cycling Contact – John Oswald, teacher; # of students – 500
With students commuting from throughout the district, St. Patrick’s still had over 20 students and 5 teachers participate in the annual VACC Bike to School Week. As part of the Grade 11 Science and Technology Curriculum, students took part in a biking field trip to explore Vancouver’s transit system. Students and teachers have been active volunteers at the Bike Valet during the annual Bike to School/Work wrap up party.
During a recent Bikers’ Breakfast supported by the VACC, students filled the bike racks where there is parking for 40 bikes. The school also has shower facilities for bike commuters. The school bike club has been meeting regularly to learn about bike maintenance, watch bike safety videos and to coordinate participation in the VACC Coquitlam Great Rides event.
St. Patrick’s School has developed a relationship with their local bike shop for sponsoring events and teaching bike maintenance workshops. The school bike club brought the VACC portable bus rack to the school so students could practice putting bikes on the bus. The bike club has also arranged for a Streetwise Cycling bike skills course for students in preparation for this year’s Bike to School Week. The school recently implemented traffic calming, preventing cars from stopping in front of the school. St. Patrick’s School is ideally located next to the Ontario and 10th Ave. Bikeways, a couple of Vancouver’s busiest bike routes
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Eric Hamber Secondary, 5025 Willow Street, Vancouver BC
School Cycling Contact –Dianne Murray, teacher; # of students 1,500
With bike racks for over 60 students and indoor secure bike parking for school staff with drying and shower rooms, Hamber Secondary has an active staff team who commute on a regular basis acting as role models for students.
Reigning school champions in the twice-annual VACC Bike to School Week in Metro Vancouver, the Hearty Hamberites logged 229 trips, totaling 1,192 km., resulting in 166.2 kg. CO2 emissions saved in last November’s event. Many staff and students have taken the VACC Streetwise Cycling bike skills course to promote and encourage safe cycling.
Through the school’s environment club and Green Campaigns, Hamber students have been encouraged to bike to school. Hamber staff were also active members in the formation of and now in the participation in the Vancouver School Board Bike Advocacy Committee.
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Churchill Secondary School, 7055 Heather St. Vancouver BC
School Cycling Contact – Martin Hauck, Francois Clark (teachers); # of students – 2,100
Churchill has been a leader in promoting school cycling in Vancouver for a few years now. Churchill had many participants in the VACC Bike to School Week and held bike safety initiatives in conjunction with the week. They hosted a “plan your route session” prior to Bike to School Week. The school has an active bike club where students work on their own bikes and bikes donated to the school. Churchill has a small shop with tools put together with a small grant. This year the grade 9 leadership PE class will receive a 2 week cycling unit. After taking the unit, the students will promote and teach cycling skills to peers, encouraging cycling as a viable transportation option.
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Windermere Secondary, 3155 East 27th Ave., Vancouver, BC
School Cycling Contacts, Vagner Castilho, Mary Sherlock (teachers); # of Students – 1,200
Valet parking for student cyclists, its own critical mass rides in the neighbourhood and an annual June Bike Fest, make Windermere stand out from other schools when it comes to Bike Friendly Schools. With a student leadership program emphasizing environmental sustainability, cycling figures prominently in their curriculum. The school has found funding to create a bike program with over 50 bikes and helmets as well as a large storage container on the school grounds to provide safe and secure bike parking which is operated by leadership students.
With a bike education program in the PE curriculum and a bike maintenance unit in the mechanics curriculum as well as bike trips to the Gulf Islands and on the Central Valley Greenway, biking has become well integrated at Windermere.
Windermere has been operating After School Bike Programs for years, including an Earn a Bike Program, as well as student-organized bike events, celebrations, clubs and rides at some of its feeder elementary schools. Windermere has a bike lab (repair and maintenance centre) in the school’s mechanics wing.
Students carried out their own school bike survey and have set a goal of 10% cycling commuters. School staff member and bike activist Mary Sherlock advocated successfully for a room in the school for a staff bike parking and drying room which many bike commuters now use. Students advocated with the city to put up anti idling signs and continue to educate parents waiting to pick up students after school. Windermere has also created traffic calming and greenways in front of the school to provide safe cycling arrivals.
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Tupper Secondary, 419 East 24th Ave. Vancouver, BC
School Cycling Contact – John Mullan (Community Worker); # of students – 974
Starting from a School Community Connections Grant and with some support from the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, $3,000 was used to build a school based bike repair shop and education centre. With contributions from Ride On Again Bike Shop and Norco tools at cost, 2 bike mechanics were hired to build the bike shop in the Tupper Community School room, train students to do bike repairs and start up a weekly ride for students (Friday Riding Club). Over 20 bikes were acquired, tuned-up and made available for students. Students and staff began using the centre for tune-ups and repairs. Students were offered a bike mechanics practicum while ESL students received bike education workshops. Tupper has celebrated cycling with many bike friendly activities during Earth Week and Bike to School Week.
Tupper has grown its bike culture and programs with a grant from the City of Vancouver. The Bike Centre has expanded its services to offer an Earn a Bike Program and an After School Bike Club supported by PEDAL and the VACC. It has expanded to 3 feeder elementary schools with After School Bike Programs supported by PEDAL. A neighbouring elementary school regularly uses the bike centre to learn about bike maintenance and mechanics. Bike education has been integrated into the PE curriculum where 5 classes will take part in a 2-week bike education program delivered by the VACC.
Tupper Bike Centre now acts as the district bike resource where 100 bikes each year are delivered by the Vancouver Police Department prior to their yearly auction, to be distributed to other schools for their bike programs. Trips for Kids uses the centre to store bikes and launch their mountain bike program for schools in Vancouver. Tupper Secondary continues to expand its bike friendly school initiatives with events, rides and celebrations but the integration of cycling into the school culture is integral to its success.
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David Thompson Secondary School, 1755 East 55th Ave., Vancouver BC
School Cycling Contact – Max Adrien (vice principal); # of students 1,850
Upon arriving at David Thompson Secondary, Max Adrien, a committed daily bike commuter, got together with other school cycling advocates to form the school’s bike committee. The committee quickly had the school board install an additional bike rack for students, celebrated cycling with a VACC supported Bikers’ Breakfast and held a district Streetwise Cycling bike skills course for staff members and two bike maintenance workshops for students and teachers.
David Thompson took part in both the spring and fall Bike to School Week celebrations, encouraging many first time riders to participate in the event through school announcements and bulletins. The school promoted cycling in its annual earth week celebrations involving the neighbourhood elementary schools as well as starting an after school bike club at one of these schools- (Tecumseh) with PEDAL.