Honorable Mentions from our Student Essay Contest continue. Read Antonia's essay below, a good example of the poetic nature of many of the entries we received...

I like to bike in the rain because you get rained on. The water is dropping on you. It makes me laugh.

Love,

Antonia Freda-Cowie

Antonia Freda-Cowie, Kindergarten, Sunnyside Environmental

Honorable Mentions from our Student Essay Contest continue (in no particular order). Read Urmi's essay below, which our judges appreciate for it's clarity and thoughtfulness.

It is true that it rains in Portland in the winter months. This shouldn’t stop us from walking or biking to school, if we have the proper gear (rain coat and rain boots). It is fun to walk in the rain to school, for two reasons.

 1) THE ENJOYMENT OF NATURES BEAUTY

I walk in the rain to enjoy nature’s wonders that only can be seen when it’s raining.  Such as, delicate water droplets upon leaves.

2) HAPPINESS OF HELPING THE COMMUNITY

I love walking in the rain, since I’m not using the car, which pollutes the air. If people could walk to school, they would help themselves and our world.

Urmi Kumar, 6^th grade

Astor Elementary 5th Grader Payton is next up as an Honorable Mention in our Student Essay Contest. Our judges enjoyed the humor in Payton's essay and also how well he described the feeling and sound of being in the rain.

I love the words my mom says "Payton get your shoes on" "we are walking to school." When the rain goes tap-tap-tap on my coat it sounds like a soft drum beat. Plus the rain is like free water, 'cause it is. Having to go into my class half-way soaked makes almost everyone laugh. It also feels so cold out, so when I walk in the classroom it's sooo warm and the cold goes away even with my coat on. Some other people say that when it rains it's not cold out which is sometimes true.

Payton Arrington, 5^th grade, Astor Elementary

From the Oregon Walk + Bike Newsletter:

Oregon schools are gearing up for the third annual Walk + Bike to School Challenge, a friendly competition that encourages students to walk and bike to school for the whole month of May.

Last year, 60 schools and over 4,000 individuals participated in the event. We are preparing for record participation among elementary and middle schools in 2010. For the first time, high schools and universities are also invited to participate. Older students will have access to the online trip-tracking system used for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commute Challenge, which allows them to compare mileage and challenge their friends.

School coordinators at elementary and middle schools help students track their trips on the Challenge scorecard. This year, registering your school and reporting results online is easier than ever thanks to a generous grant from Kaiser Permanente for web improvements.

The event kicks off May 1, ends May 31, and culminates with a special Walk + Bike to Baseball celebration event at PGE Park in Portland on June 11. Event participants and winners will be recognized on field, and the overall winner will throw out the first pitch of the Beavers baseball game.

For more information, visit www.walknbike.org. Online registration opens in March!

 Terrell, Lewis Elementary 5th Grader, is our next Honorable Mention in our Student Essay Contest.

I enjoy riding in the rain. The rain feels nice when the water drips into the holes of my helmet. I love the smell of the air when it rains. Some people think riding in the rain is dangerous but in fact the only things different are you have to pull your brakes earlier and the roads are a little more slippery. My favorite part of riding in the rain is seeing how the light reflects off the ground, in my opinion that is beautiful.

Terrell Cunningham

5^th grade, Lewis Elementary