'This is one of the units during the year that they really remember': MPS programs find success pairing students with bicycles

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One of the biggest challenges for educators is delivering lessons so memorable, they stick with students for life. A pair of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) aim to do that using bicycles as a device connecting kids with their communities.

The bike safety program has been an MPS elementary school staple for the past two years. Partnering with the Wisconsin Bike Fed, instructors teach kids in grades 3-5 the basics of riding.

The six-week program covers how to safely ride on city streets. Physical education teacher Jay Cameron notes it's a great workout for the kids.

"By the end of 30 minutes -- they were out here for 40, and they rode for about 30 minutes -- some of them were tired," he said. "They're getting exercise just by doing it."

Cameron estimates about a third of his current class at Riverwest Elementary had never ridden a bike before. Beyond being good for a kids cardiovascular health, MPS' health curriculum director, Carlos Rodriguez, said the district sees mental health benefits in encouraging an outdoor activity for kids.

The primary function, however, is keeping kids safe, both now and into the future. The program stemmed from the Department of Transportation realizing two decades ago there was a disproportiate number of MPS families affected by traffic crashes involving bicycles and pedestrians.

"We meet weekly with DPW, the DOT and the bike federation, along with Children's Wisconsin," Rodriguez said. "In those meetings, they report what's shared of the hot spots, pedestrian safety accidents in the city."

Rodriguez said MPS on its own can move the program around to as many as 18 schools over the course of a school year. The partnership with the Wisconsin Bike Fed allows up to 30 schools to participate, thanks for the extra staffing the bike fed provides.

Michael Anderson, the bike fed's youth programs manager, said teaching kids at a young age how to navigate streets on a bike allows them to develop a stronger connection with their neighborhoods. Bicycles allow them to see more of their immediate surroundings.

"The skillset they develop on the playground are translating to them actually going to a neighborhood park on a bike ride," Anderson said. "And they're doing it safe, respectfully and you know they can then do that on their own."

The bikes, themselves, have some interesting stories. Many are simply purchased by the district using funds that were made available after the passage of a referendum in 2020.

Others, however, were restored in the Valid Bike Shop, another partnership with between MPS and the bike fed that is housed in what used to be the auto shop at North Division High School.

Shop manager Anthony Casagrande estimated there were about 400 donated bikes in the shop with CBS 58 visited last month.

Working in the shop is one students who've fallen behind can earn credits toward a GED. It's also an after-school program that brings in students from the Boys & Girls Club.

One of those students, Johnal Harris, took advantage of the program's central promise: Those who complete the training with Casagrande and restore a bike are able to take one home. Harris said having a bike has made getting around a breeze.

"When I have to go to work, I ride my bike to work, and after work, I go to a park to go hoop," he said. "And after I come from that park, I can just ride it all the way back home."

Casagrande said the benefits go beyond connecting kids with bikes. He believes teaching students how to fix bicycles is a way to share lifelong technical lessons.

"This might've been the first time where they've picked up a wrench to fix something," Casagrande said. "So, to kind of generally give them the idea of how systems operate, the satisfaction, again, of taking something that was once broken and is now mended, I think that skill is transferrable to pretty much anything."

Back on the playground at Riverwest Elementary, Cameron advocates for the program as one that sticks with students. It's a true community partnership as Children's Wisconsin donates bike helmets to supplement the bikes.

Anderson said while he's enthusiastic to see more young cyclists, he maintained there's an even greater community benefit. By getting students familiar with the idea of vulnerable road users at a young age, they'll grow up to be more aware as drivers.

"When they age up to be 16 and they become drivers, they're responsible stewards," he said. "And they feel some ownership of the community and connected to it in a way that says, 'Oh, these streets are for walking, these streets are for biking.'"