Walk to School Day in Rochester lets students unleash energy, reminds drivers to watch the roads

(ABC 6 News) – Rochester drivers may have noticed hundreds more children on the sidewalks near Sunset Terrace Elementary School on Wednesday morning because it was Walk to School Day.

It’s a statewide celebration where students across Minnesota walk or roll to class.

Instead of boarding the bus, students at Sunset Terrace started their day on foot and were joined by Rochester Public Schools faculty, including superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel.

“We are excited,” Dr. Pekel said. “I wore my middle age sneakers, but these kids have cooler shoes than I do.”

The morning happened all with a goal of reminding drivers on the roads to be cautious, said Deirdre Conroy, the Safe Routes to School Supervisor at RPS.

“Children are out on the streets every day. Look out for them. They’re shorter than the rest of us,” Conroy said. “Let them cross those roads.”

Rochester mayor Kim Norton proclaimed the date as Walk to School Day in the city in a speech when children arrived at the school.