Get Back On and Ride? No Problem!

Katie Kennedy, a physical education teacher from the Zumbrota Mazeppa District, is also using the WBF curriculum to get creative during COVID. Katie teaches students across the district of all ages, and all students 7th-9th grade participate in the bike unit. Since starting BWF three years ago, Katie said that students have really enjoyed the unit and biked in all conditions — rain, sleet, snow, and beautiful weather too.

Because of COVID, the district wasn’t able to borrow the BikeMN WBF fleet this past spring. Katie adapted the school’s curriculum, and the students did a week-long Bike on Your Own unit which utilized the BikeMN WBF curriculum.

One assignment for students was “Bike Anywhere Day.” Students had two days where their only assignment was to go for a bike ride. They used MapMyRun or Strava to track their ride and take pictures. Students who couldn’t ride used MapMyRun to design a route, creating a route with a design or spelling out a word.

Katie also shared the story of one of her adaptive phy-ed students. The student fell off his bike as a kid, and had been afraid to ride since. Through BikeMN, the school district was able to borrow the adaptive fleet where the student first rode a tricycle. The student loved the experience, and a tri-bike was donated to the school for him, which he borrowed during distance-learning. Recently, the students’ family purchased the student his own bike, and Katie was excited to report that she received countless photos of the student and his family out riding together.

As the 2020-21 school year approaches, the Zumbrota Mazeppa District will be implementing a hybrid schedule. Katie plans on continuing to use and adapt the WBF curriculum for these special circumstances based on the lessons she learned in the spring semester.