What’s Right With Our Schools: Dalewood Middle Ride for Focus
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Healthy bodies, healthy minds. Students at Dalewood Middle School are getting physically fit and learning the rules of the road thanks to a three-year grant.
Hop on and learn how Riding for Focus is a free-wheeling example of what’s right with our schools.
Louis Sanders is a Coach at Dalewood Middle School
He says, “We’ve been doing the riding for Focus program going on two years now. It’s a three-year grant, and to be honest, I love Writing for Focus because it gives kids another outlet to be physically active and healthy. Especially for those kids that are suffering from learning disabilities like ADHD. It’s a great opportunity for them to get outside, get some fresh air, get the blood flowing so they can in their classes, their core classes, and concentrate a little bit more.”
Sanders continues, “The purpose of Riding for Focus is to promote cycling as an outlet for students to improve their cognitive, physical and social emotional well-being. At the end of the curriculum, students become certified as road ready after they have gained the knowledge and learned the skills to cycle safely. Some of the rules of the road are hand signals, how to avoid objects, learning how to maintain and care for the bike. We’ve learned how to go uphill, come downhill. The curriculum really provides a lot of safety tips for these children to be road ready.”
Jayvious Shepherd is an 8th grader at Dalewood.
He says, “I like it because it’s fun and we get to practice doing the things that help us in real life.”
Coach Sanders says, “Around this community. This is something different. And actually, everybody that comes by, they usually honk their horn. People that come by, they smile. It brightens everybody’s spirits up. They enjoy seeing kids engaged and learning, enjoy seeing kids participate and smile while doing it.”
We talked to a group of students who said: “Student Soundbites: I Like filling the air breeze when you’re on the bike, just the wind hit your face and stuff. Get your heart pumping, too, so it’s good for you. What I like about the program is it’s fun because we get to have some free time after sitting down in class for an hour. What I like about bike riding is it’s just fun. I like how we get to exercise and how it’s warm outside in the environment. It gives us fresh air from being in there sitting down a lot. It feels nice getting out.”
Rashaad Williams is the Principal at Dalewood.
He concludes, “We found that the curriculum is beneficial to all students, not just students with Add and ADHD. And so we’ve incorporated where all students get to go through this program, and it helps them learn to learn to self-regulate and manage themselves so they can operate and be successful in school. This is probably one of the most engaging lessons I’ve done in physical education, and I’m excited to see where this program leads to in the future. And I think after we get done with the grant, I’m going to continue to do Ride for Focus.”
