(October 9, 2015)  Portland Safe Routes to School and the Portland school community celebrated International Walk+Bike to School Day on October 7 and it was a rousing success! Over 70 Portland schools registered their participation in the event this year and statewide 250 schools took part.  Lent K-8 was chosen to be the media school with over 200 students and staff participating. A big thanks goes out to Lent K-8 Principal Terri Sing and Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Coordinator Carmen Flores for helping to organize and host the event.

A long list of Portland dignitaries were in attendance, including City Commissioner Steve Novick, Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat, and Dr. Jeff Stanley from Kaiser Permanente – all addressed the physical and mental health, safety and fun benefits available to students biking, walking and rolling to school.

Other local dignitaries in attendance included Mike Rosen from the Portland Public School Board, Elizabeth Engberg from Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools, Captain Kelli Sheffer of Portland Police, Steph Noll from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Cory Poole of the NW Skate Coalition, and Tom Ralley who is the amazing Lent K-8 volunteer. But the real stars of the day were all the students and staff at all the schools who participated.