Monday, January 15, 2007, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It was also a staff development day for many area schools. That means “no school” for the students. That does not mean “no school” for the teachers. 75 Physical Education (PE) teachers displayed their love and enthusiasm for education by attending an in-service program at Canyon Independent School District’s Gene Howe Elementary gymnasium. The Physical Education Workshop was again put together by Gene Howe’s PE teacher, Janet Sheen.

Amarilo's Local Outreach Coordinator team, Joyce Cunningham and Fernando Martinez, were given the opportunity to give a brief description, update and presentation of the Texas Bicycle Coalition Safe Routes to School Program to attendees. They demonstrated key educational elements such as the helmet egg drop, mock handle bar/hand traffic signals, and the hang tag bicycle parts identification. Teachers received packets of educational student handout materials from the updated SuperCyclist Curriculum 2.2 Teacher Master Page Series including the new “6 Simple Steps” posters to hang and display gyms, hallways and/or classrooms.

John Thomson, representing US Games, was also available to demonstrate many exciting Physical Education, Athletics, Fitness, Recreation, and Health products available to PE teachers.

This was an exciting opportunity to provide Safe Routes to School information to child educators from many different sites. Many thanks go out to Sheen for inviting us to participate in this event.