PITTSBURG, Kan. — For National Bike to School Day, 30 Lakeside Elementary students along with some parents gathered at Lakeside Park and rode together to school. But for this group, biking to school is not a once-a-year occurrence.

A few weeks ago, Brendan Finley, a Lakeside teacher, started a Bike Bus program. For this community-driven program, children and some parents ride bikes together in a formation on a route that spans several blocks every Friday morning. The route ends at Lakeside Elementary just in time for children to start their school day. The Pittsburg Police and other volunteers escort the Bike Bus group along their route to ensure they are safe.

Bike Bus is a worldwide movement that encourages children to be more active in communities. As an avid bike rider, Finley wanted to bring this initiative to Pittsburg.

“I was just really inspired to give students another reason to be very excited for school,” Finley said. “Bike Bus has become a thing to get kids active and motivated to go to school and excited to go to school.”

For National Bike to School Day, the group had a record number of participants, and Daylight Donuts provided donuts for the occasion.

Finley hopes to continue to grow the program and add more volunteers. Community members donated a few bicycles that Finley fixed and offered to children who didn’t have bikes to ride. He also received a grant for 50 bike helmets for kids who needed them, and he wants to apply for other grants to expand the program.

“My hope is that this will continue to be something that inspires students to get active, practice bike safety by wearing helmets, and that it encourages our community to jump on this trend and do something great for our students,” Finley said.

Parent and Teacher Teresa Hall said she wanted to help with the Bike Bus because it was a good and fun way to start the day. Her son, 8-year-old Holden Hall, said it was nice to go on a bike ride before school.

“It gets a lot of your energy out so in school you don’t have a bunch of energy waiting for recess,” he said.

Parent Lijun Zhu said she thinks this is an awesome program for her daughter McKayla Kimec to participate in.

“I think this is a great way to get students together and just a great way to go to school and the exercise is good for your health,” Zhu said.

The next Bike Bus will meet at the northwest corner of Lakeside Park at 7:15 a.m. on May 15 and the last one will be May 22. Community members looking to get involved in the Bike Bus program may contact awolff@morningsun.net.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.