General News
3 September, 2024
School’s bike track to promote physical activity
Dunolly Primary School students are running and riding for joy following the installation of a new bike track.
The 300-metre gravel path, officially opened last Friday, provides a safe area for students to bike, scooter, walk, or run during recess.
The $30,000 project also includes a storage container as well as communal bikes and scooters.
Dunolly Primary School principal Katie Lovel said the new recreation space has quickly become a hit with the students.
“We came back from the school holidays to a brand new track installed which created a real buzz for the kids,” she said.
“The kids were really overwhelmed and so excited, we were really blown away by the amount of students walking and running each recess.
“The walking and running part was something we didn’t necessarily think of but that has just come naturally.”
The recommendation of a track originated from the students themselves thanks to the school’s student voice council.
According to Ms Lovel, it’s vital to provide students with a platform to share their ideas for their education.
“If they have some ideas and go through the correct channels like the student voice council, things can happen for them,” she said.
“Often [their ideas] are not something we think about as adults so it has been empowering for them to see they can achieve things that are beneficial.”
The project was funded by the Victorian Government’s Active Schools Grant program, aimed to promote physical activity across education.
According to Ms Lovel, fostering positive physical wellbeing produces a wealth of benefits for students.
“Giving them that downtime in between learning really helps to keep them focused in class,” she said.
“We also do scooter and bike education in Term 4 every year so it was a great way for us to be able to source the scooters and bikes so that no student missed out.
“It’s really important for us to promote that healthy lifestyle and Dunolly has some great riding tracks around the town so it’s something we encourage.”
