It’s 10 minutes to eight on a cool, crisp Wednesday morning in early October. Slowly, families trickle down Talisman Drive and onto the front lawn of Wolftrap Elementary School. Within minutes, many parents are gathered around a table serving coffee, and students approach another table where they sign their names to prove they completed a simple, but important task: walking to school. It’s a positive and healthy way to start the day.

Walking Wednesdays are a long-standing tradition at Wolftrap Elementary, organized every Wednesday, weather permitting, by the Wolftrap Elementary PTA. The goal: get as many families to walk their children as possible.

“I’m starting my 14th year here and about as many years as I’ve been here there’s been some iteration of this going on,” said Principal Maggie Grove. “We have some great committed parents that have worked on it.” 

The parents and the broader school community work together to make every Walking Wednesday special. Parent and student volunteers arrive early to set up the coffee table and the students’ table. They put out a speaker and play upbeat music. Another student dresses up as Wolftrap’s mascot.

For students who have walked to school for a long time, it’s easy to see the benefits. “Walking Wednesday is a day you can stretch your legs and get outside,” said sixth grade student Clark Castleberry. His classmate, Drew Fields, agrees. “When I was really young, it gave me motivation to get up and walk,” he recalled. 

As for Drew, “Getting your energy out before you go to school” is something he gains from walking.

Some students notice another benefit of walking to school on top of caring for their physical health. “It encourages you to not use gas, and helps prevent global warming,” explains fifth grade student Kiki O’Rourke.

Students who walk to school make it known. Every week, they’re guaranteed rewards. “You get a keychain each day,” said second grade student Layla Migowski Chebat, “and you can write your name on the paper that’s on top of the table with the keychains.” The keychains are small plastic charms themed to the season. For October, they’re pumpkins and brown and orange leaves. Clark claims he’s collected many charms by now. “I’ve probably collected about a hundred or so.” Drew thinks he has even more. “I mean, I’ve been here since kindergarten. I’ve got around 1,000!”

But the keychains are small prizes. When the students sign their names, they might help their class win the coveted grand prize: the Golden Sneaker. The grade with the most walkers gets the honor of keeping it. It’s a simple trophy (Principal Grove says the tradition started when a parent painted their child’s sneaker gold a couple of years ago), but it’s held with respect and displayed in a glass case. Wolftrap students want the Golden Sneaker. Drew remembers when his class won it last school year. There was “lots of screaming, lots of kids out of control, but kind of exciting!”

Walking Wednesdays serve another purpose for Wolftrap parents and guardians. They can gather over coffee and get the latest PTA news and updates. “It helps the community because parents stay with the coffee, it lures them in, and they chat,” said Wolftrap parent Elizabeth Finnerty. 

“It’s an opportunity to meet new parents,” said Principal Grove. “It’s a great way to welcome new families if we haven’t had an opportunity to meet them yet, and it’s just great to have the kids gather, too. They come down, they get their charms, and they walk to class. The community has started counting on it.”

Most importantly, families see the changes Walking Wednesdays brings to their students. “It’s hard getting up in the morning, especially when it’s cold and dark,” Finnerty says, but her kids love it when they wake up on Wednesdays.

“The kiddos that come in love being here and they love walking and biking,” agreed Principal Grove. “I think it’s a great effort for our PTA and everyone loves it.”