SFT

Georgia (and a girl from Oregon) ride to the Capitol

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“Complete the streets! Complete the streets!”  This was the rousing cheer from the crowd at Atlanta’s Capitol building last week. I was lucky that my visit in the city coincided with the yearly Georgia Rides to the Capitol event. After meeting with Neil and the Metro Atlanta Cycling Club at a satellite location in Decatur, we rolled with hundreds of other cyclists towards downtown, meeting up with other groups along the way.

1,000+ people on bikes convened at the Capitol. Students, businessmen and lycra-clad racers stood side by side as the event took on a festival-like atmosphere. There were cheers, speeches and even s’mores made on the back of a bicycle!

A self-proclaimed "Pedalvore". Definition: Eating within the area that your bike travels. Love it!

I was impressed with the attendance and energy at Georgia Rides to the Capitol and wish these bicycle advocates the very best in the future. Thank you for making an Oregonian feel so welcome.

A morning at Cherrydale Elementary

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Mr. Talty is the teacher that every student deserves. When I arrived at his classroom accompanied by two polite students, the all-boy 4th grade class was engaged in a lesson that required them to stand each time they wished to volunteer an answer. As I wheeled my bike into the room I got some curious glances but as soon as I pulled out my SFT map, the students were utterly engaged. Q&A could have lasted forever with this class!

Lunchtime was up next and the boys couldn’t stop whispering questions to me during our walk through the hallway. As the students picked up their lunches Mr. Talty informed me that the school has a 98% free/reduced rate which means that almost every student eats the cafeteria’s meals. The school also participates in Farm to School which allows it to serve Carolina-sourced produce as often as possible.

After lunch we headed out to the garden, which Mr. Talty runs, where he explained how he integrates the garden and its produce into his lessons. He has been encouraging other teachers to utilize this great resource and says that their receptiveness is hit or miss. We agreed that it’s important for educators to have ample resources available when introducing new strategies to their instruction.

We had just enough time for recess before it was time for me to hit the road. Thank you to Cherrydale and Mr. Talty’s class for a great visit!