Students on the move: Healthy bodies the goal of walk-to-school event

Christina Henderson, 11, braved temperatures in the 30s Wednesday morning to join classmates in walking to Bordewich-Bray Elementary School.

"It was cold," she said. "It was really cold."

But the fifth-grader determined the benefits outweighed the sacrifice.

"It's good for your body," she said. "You get a lot of muscle."

Carson City students joined 32 schools across the state participating in Nevada Moves Day in walking or biking to school.

"Any time we get the kids up and moving, it's good for their health," said Linda Hurzel, physical education teacher at Bordewich-Bray. "If I can get them excited about exercising and moving, that's a bonus. I always tell the kids they're not going to get fit once a week in a 45-minute P.E. class."

The school organized a walk from the fire station on Stewart Street to the school for all the students who wanted to walk to school but live on the other side of Highway 395.

"We wanted them to be able to walk to school, but we wanted them to be safe," said Principal Valerie Dockery, who joined about 50 students who braved the wind and cold to participate.

"It was awesome. We had a great time," she said. "We hope to make it an even bigger event next year."

Fire Captain Stacey Giomi and Assistant Fire Chief Tom Tarulli accompanied the students on their walk.

Giomi said he had "no complaints" about the weather.

"As long as you kept moving, you were warm," he said.

Likewise, Tarulli had no complaints about the children.

"They stayed on the sidewalks. There were no fights. Nobody got hurt."

In all, 214 students from Bordewich-Bray walked or biked to school and were entered in a drawing for T-shirts, backpacks and other prizes. Students who ride buses and could not walk to school could participate by walking laps around the playground.

"Given that it was cold and windy, it went well," said Dan Allison, the school district's Safe Routes to School coordinator.

For 8-year-old Brook Lamoreaux, a Bordewich-Bray second-grader, riding her bike to school was just part of her everyday routine.

"It's healthy for you," she explained. "It's something for the environment. It's not wasting lots of fresh air for people to breathe."