Roosevelt Elementary and Sidewalk Stompers celebrate Walk to School Day

Walk to School Day

Wednesday is National Walk to School Day, an annual event to raise awareness about student safety. FOX 13?s Regina Gonzalez reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The sidewalks outside Roosevelt Elementary in South Tampa were filled with students, parents, and community leaders as the school celebrated National Walk to School Day.

What we know:

The annual event carried special meaning this year, marking Roosevelt’s 100th anniversary and a decade of the Sidewalk Stompers program.

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The backstory:

The program began on campus as a small, parent-led initiative to get kids moving and build safer routes to school.

Since then, the effort has grown into a county-wide movement that now reaches 35 Hillsborough County schools.

What they're saying:

"Keeping kids active and engaged in their community improves not just their own health, but the health of our whole region," said Emily Hinsdale, president and co-founder of Sidewalk Stompers.

Over the past ten years, Hinsdale’s team — in collaboration with the City of Tampa’s Mobility Department — has helped transform the streets surrounding Roosevelt. 

"We went from 80 kids that participated in our first event to almost 300 here every single Wednesday," Hinsdale said. "Because of that, we’ve seen the road design change, from a four-lane road to two lanes, with new crosswalks, stop signs, and crossing guards. All of that happened within the last decade at this school."

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor joined students and families for the walk, praising the effort for creating lifelong habits. 

"Walking to school is such a simple way to start the day off right," she said. "You can't beat the value of having kids able to walk together as a group and hopefully form some lasting relationships."

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What's next:

With more schools joining each year, Sidewalk Stompers plans to expand its Walk to School Wednesdays across Hillsborough County, aiming to make safe, active transportation the norm for every neighborhood.

Click here to learn more about starting a similar program.