A new bus route has been added at Alma Schrader Elementary, but this bus burns calories, not gas.

The "Walking School Bus" will embark Wednesday, in which volunteer "drivers" pick children up on foot and escort them to school. Funded through a grant, the program is designed to encourage healthy habits and reduce traffic congestion.

Since 2005 the school has participated in the annual International Walk to School Day, which was held Wednesday. About 100 students usually participate, gathering at Dennis Scivally Park and hiking hand-in-hand half a mile to school.

Organizers wanted to make the activity more of a routine. They applied for a "Safe Routes to School" grant to make walking to school a supervised, weekly event.

The program is starting small, with one route, two drivers and 11 enrolled students. It will run Wednesday mornings through Nov. 19 and will start up again in the spring.

The first route will start on Masters Drive, go north on David Street, east on Lynnwood Drive and south on Randol Avenue to the school. There will be a staging post at Bethany Baptist Church, 1712 Randol Ave. Parents who live farther away can drop their children off there to join the rest of the group walking to school.

To participate, parents must register their children in advance. The deadline for enrollment has passed, but organizers said more children could potentially be added.

After a trial period, they hope to eventually add more routes and expand to other schools in the district.

"We anticipate that as the word gets out and more people become interested, we will add more. It is wise to start modest," said Dr. Mark Langenfeld, a professor of health, human performance and recreation and biology at Southeast Missouri State University. Langenfeld selected Alma Schrader as the first school because he lives in the neighborhood.

He applied for the $10,000 grant with Sharee Galnore, a safe communities coordinator with the Cape Girardeau Police Department. The money is used for training, handouts and background checks on volunteers.

Through a calling tree, the route will be canceled in inclement weather. The route is about two-thirds of a mile long.

Langenfeld said he walked his daughters to Alma Schrader every day when they were younger. Along with the exercise, he said the best part was simply getting to spend time with his girls.

"You get to hang out with your kids," said Jen Redinger, the parent of a kindergartner who will be helping "drive" the bus.

She was on hand Wednesday for International Walk to School Day. Children started gathering at Denis Scivally Park at 7:30 a.m., just as the morning briskness was breaking.

Some parents pushed strollers, others brought dogs, and students burned off excess energy before the start of the uphill trek to school.

"I think it jump-starts your morning," said parent Jamie Camburth.

Lydia Gentry, a third-grader, said she likes talking to her friends along the route.

Rebecca Gentry, Lydia's mother and a music teacher at Alma Schrader, said the event is "a great way to promote school spirt and good health."

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627

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