Deputy Tim Tramel of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Training Academy played host to the most recent BikeTexas SuperCyclist certification class this past December 5th. Under a beautiful sky on a (not surprisingly) windy Fort Worth afternoon, three Tarrant County Deputies and seven area teachers put their newly-learned bike safety talents to test on the SuperCyclist Skills Course and Decision Course on the Academy parking lot.
Deputy Tramel, SCOPE Officer (Sheriff Community Oriented Policing and Education) for Tarrant County, was joined by Deputies James Waits and Scott Christian. They have been active with children and bicycle safety events in the past. The training gives them great tools to teach more kids in the future.
PE teachers Christi Ray, Jan Grauso and Kathy Spadoni of Northwest ISD, Missy Wentz, Stephen McAdams, and Sheila Taylor of Carrollton-Famers Branch ISD, and Jennifer Davis of the Shelton School also participated in the training.
Regina Garcia made the trip up from Houston to serve as field instructor, bringing her usual mix of bike safety expertise and humor to the six-hour course. Brenda Chuleewah, BikeTexas SuperCyclist Program Teacher Training Manager, set up the training, prepared the handouts and curriculums, and worked with Regina to demonstrate games from the curriculum.
Our thanks to such an involved, enthusiastic and fun group who really care about bicycling and the health and safety of children. They understand the need that youngsters have for bicycle safety instruction and have given their time to learn how to teach these important life-saving skills.
[SuperCyclist certification is free to teachers through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and is certified by TAHPERD for six professional education credits. Contact Brenda Chuleewah at brenda@biketexas.org or (512) 476-7433 for more information.]
