Bike Champion profile - Jackie Hicks

Bike to School Week Champion Jackie Hicks – Parent and Volunteer Bike to School Week Coordinator at Ross Road Elementary, North Vancouver, BC

Jackie Hicks is a parent of two children at Ross Road Elementary School. She believes that it is important that kids use active transportation as much as possible and that active and healthy habits at a young age continue later on in life. All of her children bike to school and she regularly sees the benefits of living an active lifestyle. To get things going with Bike to School Week last year, Jackie placed an announcement in the PAC newsletter and made sure that all teachers were made aware of Bike to School Week. Teachers at the school were very supportive of Bike to School Week and keen to help out by tracking the number of rides using tally sheets that were emailed to them.

A highlight of the event was when Endless Biking came to the school and ran a safe cycling workshop and bicycle ramps. Even those students who didn’t have a bike were able to run the ramps by foot. Classes were incentivised to participate in Bike to School Week with a pizza party prize for the primary and intermediate-level classes with the most bike trips. Big cheers were heard in the school when the winners were announced.

Jackie says that it is important to get the word out early in order to make Bike to School Week successful. She suggests getting the event on the school calendars and newsletters as soon as possible so that families have time to prepare children’s bicycles and figure out what their routine will be during Bike to School Week. Jackie also says that it is important to actually show the kids that cycling is a great method of transportation, rather than just telling them.