Trike-a-Thon
The Trike-a-thon took place on Monday, April 27, at the Elementary School Campus. This event was a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and was also an excellent opportunity for our middle school students to help lead preschool students.
The 5th grade class helped run this event as part of their MAD (Make A Difference) project. Having been connected to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in elementary school with the Math-a-thon, it worked well to continue the connection through the Trike-A-Thon. For 6 weeks prior to the actual trike riding day, the 5th graders visited the preschool to teach the younger students about bicycle safety. The 5th grade students buddy-up with a small group of preschoolers in each of the three classes and read to them, color with them, and teach them one safety lesson per week. In addition to the activities and teaching, they also take time each week to plan the actual ride day.
Preschoolers and their families secured sponsors and/or donations for riding in the Trike-a-thon. 5th graders are responsible for organizing and setting up a course to ride on, a bike wash station, a refreshment cooling station, and a bake sale for the many people who came to watch and support the preschoolers. The preschoolers pedaled their trikes for about 15-20 min and then rotated to another station. If they were not riding they were either washing their bikes at the bike wash station or visiting with Midland Park’s safety team members. A police car, ambulance and fire truck came and the kids were able to see the vehicles and talk to the respective emergency personnel about them.
At the end of the morning, the preschoolers ate a special snack, received a certificate and license for riding, and a water bottle designed by one of the current 5th graders. Many, many parents, grandparents and friends attended. It was quite the morning!
This event and the organization benefitted fits perfectly into the 5th grade science curriculum as the students study cells and then branch off to look at what happens to cells when different cancers develop. They spend time researching St. Jude’s research program and what is taking place in cancer discoveries.
