Fourth graders at Beech St. Elementary School put in extra effort into reading, writing, math and being good citizens for several weeks to earn enough points for a bike or sports pack with extra goodies.
About 160 students had their pick at a bike distribution event at the end of May, put on by the Queen City Bike Collective. The organization partners with Beech Street and Gossler Park Elementary, as well as several local organizations to put on this event.
“For the course of the year, we intake between 1,200 and 1,400 bikes from the community, some adult bikes, some youth bikes, and we spend most of the year taking those youth bikes and getting them ready for today,” said Ben Godbout, one of the volunteers who turned out to help distribute the bikes and the board president for Queen City collective.
The collective launched the program in 2016 as a partnership with a community schools initiative at the Manchester Health Department. Since the program began, more than 1,200 students have participated, with 150 to 225 taking part each year.
Teacher Emily Caron is one of the people who helps coordinate the program at Beech Street Elementary.
“Our students work extremely hard, both as bobcat proud, we call it, you know, being outstanding citizens,” she said.
She explained that the program helps motivate students towards the end of the school year and said she was so proud of her students. She added that these bikes also help these kids have another way to get to school and build healthy habits for a lifetime.
