Tue, May 2nd, 2023 - 12:22pm
September 27, 2018 - 12:04pm | By Leah Backstrom
On Friday, September 28, 100 fifth graders from Centennial Elementary will bike from the school to the Dr. James Carlson Library. Staff from Paramount Sports will help students prepare their bikes for the ride and help the students to understand safe biking practices. Students will also be accompanied by Fargo Public Schools Superintendent Mr. Rupak Gandhi. Upon arrival at the Carlson Library, the Fargo Public Library staff will lead the students on a tour of the library, highlighting available resources at the library beyond just books.
“This trip is meant to spark students to understand the ease, power, and joy of living a physically and academically fit life,” shared Lucas Paul Steier, a Centennial fifth grade teacher and the organizer for the event.
Staff from Paramount Sports will make sure all the fifth-grade bikes are ride ready. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. Craig Benson from Paramount Sports and Lucas Steier from Centennial will give a short presentation about bicycle safety practices before the group sets off for their ride. The safety talk will cover safe bicycle riding whether alone, with friends, or in a large group. The Paramount Sports staff will also share a safe biking route from Centennial to the Carlson Library with the students.
Students, and Superintendent Gandhi, will begin their bike ride to the Carlson Library at 12:00 p.m. Once they arrive, students will be given a tour of the library. Students will rotate through five different stations throughout the facility and be shown how to locate various library resources. Students will also be allowed to check out books while there. For many students, this is the first time they will receive a library card. “I can tell you from experience it is powerful seeing a student’s face light up at the possibility of all the things they can use a library card for at the public library,” said Steier. “Providing access to great literature helps to create lifelong readers.”
The group will head back to Centennial at 2:00 p.m. This is the ninth year for the Bikes to Books trip.
