First and second-grade students at Columbine Elementary school were welcomed back from Thanksgiving break with a surprise, a new bicycle.
Around 75 students at Columbine Elementary were surprised with a brand new bike and helmet on Monday.
The bikes and helmets were supplied through a partnership between Can’d Aid — a Longmont nonprofit that encourages kids to be active by donating bikes and skateboards — and High Country Beverage and Oskar Blues.
The Longmont elementary school is one of several Title IX schools in the area the nonprofit has on its list to donate to.
The students, however, did not only get bikes and helmets, they also received a lesson in bike safety.
“I feel like for our community to have this opportunity to learn about healthy lifestyles and to remain active is just an amazing extension to what we are already doing in this school in terms of supporting students with social/emotional learning and physical activity and taking care of themselves,” said Audrey Seybold, Columbine Elementary principal.
The school uses In Focus curriculum which engages students in social-emotional learning through overall themes. The school staff take time to evaluate the needs of individual students or classrooms and tailor the program to meet the needs of the students.
“I feel like to have a community organization like Can’d Aid to reach out to a building in our school district is just another way to highlight all of the connections that you can see throughout our community,” Seybold said.
High County Beverage and Oskar Blues organize a fundraiser each year to benefit the community, said Ryan Johnson, brand manager with High Country Beverage. This year they raised over $14,000 and donated the time of over 30 employees to supply the 75 bicycles to Columbine Elementary on Monday.
Rayleen Duron has a daughter in first grade. She said she imagines that her daughter will be very excited about the new bike. Duron’s daughter has already been asking for a larger bike — without training wheels — this year, so the timing is perfect for the family.
The students sat quietly in the gym wondering what their teachers had in store for them because the event was a well-kept secret. After a short bike safety presentation and some bike tricks, the Can’d Aid staff pulled away the gym mats to reveal 75 red bicycles for the students.
Little eyes lit up throughout the school gym and eager young students struggled to stay in their seats when they learned they would get a new bike and helmet. Volunteers helped the students place their names on their new helmets and bikes and let the students place them to the side of the gym or help their parents get them in their cars.
