Knightly News

Tying a shoe, reading a book and writing your name are typically major milestones for young learners. Recently, the Episcopal PE team has been helping kindergarten students with another milestone – riding a bicycle.

In the Phillips Gym mezzanine, students gather once a week for a series of lessons that will help them safely learn to ride. There are varying degrees of bicycle riding experience, but the excitement is universal as the students wait to get on the little white bicycles lined up and ready to go. Coach Brant Martin guides them through lessons focusing on balance, stopping with the feet and walking with the bicycle. In no time, smiling and laughing students move about the space and give it their all. 

Life Skills in PE Class

Physical Education Department Chair Heidi Hebert says Episcopal partnered with the All Kids Bike organization, whose mission is to teach every child in America how to ride a bicycle in kindergarten PE class. Currently, All Kids Bike is in 1,348 schools nationally, with 133,492 students learning to ride this school year. Through All Kids Bike, Episcopal was the recipient of 24 student bicycles, one teacher bicycle, helmets, curriculum and teacher training. Now, young Knights are enthusiastically learning a new life skill.

This skill will be important once students enter first grade and begin the Healthy Selves project-based unit. In keeping with tradition, the unit concludes each year with a duathlon on the Episcopal track. Hebert says she was inspired to offer bicycle riding lessons to help students succeed in this event and beyond. She points out the tremendous health benefits of physical activity, including bicycle riding. “Students develop physically and mentally, gain greater confidence, reduce stress and boost their ability to focus,” says Hebert. Bicycle riding is also a great way to spend time with family and friends in nature.

Boosting life skills and exploring the outdoors are common themes in Episcopal PE classes. Each year, as part of their landforms and National Parks unit, fourth graders participate in outdoor adventure lessons in PE. Students learn to kayak, fly fish and more. “Those kinds of things really get the students excited,” says Hebert. “Our goal is to teach life skills and encourage them to get outside and play.” Hebert says such experiences also push students to try and fail and learn the importance of trying again. 

A Community of Support Makes the Wheels Roll

The kindergarten students are thrilled to participate. Hebert says some students may already know how to ride, and there is a special task for them. “We have found that those students love to help their friends, and it eases some anxiety when they get their support,” she says. Watching students prepare for a lesson, this is clear as students readily assist others with fastening their helmets or balancing their bicycles.

The new bicycle riding effort is a campus collaboration. In the classroom, students are learning all about wheels, making now the ideal time to launch a bicycle riding initiative. In addition, Dr. Jeff McLean and several Upper School students assembled the bicycles as an on-campus service project. Thank you to Logan Beane, Parks McMains, Reed McMains, Nate McLean and Maoya Nakahara for setting our younger students up for success.

Hopefully, after completing the entire program, Episcopal kindergarteners will be ready for a fun and active summer. We can’t wait to see how this first class of bicyclists performs on the duathlon track next year.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.