Principal runs to get program off on right foot

Principal Noel Grabl likes to run. It’s something she enjoys doing for exercise and to clear her mind. It wasn’t something she thought she would do to get to work at Majestic Elementary in the morning.

“It started out a bit colder than usual and I had quite a head wind, so it took me longer than I thought,” she said. “But when I reached the school, all the students were out in front cheering me on and giving me high-fives.”

Grabl told students she would run the nine miles from her home in Cottonwood Heights to Majestic Elementary as part of the school’s participation in Utah Department of Transportation’s “Walk More in Four” program, designed to get more students to walk to school during a four week period, and it worked.

The school was named first runner-up in the statewide competition, with more than 37 percent of its student body walking or biking to school regularly during September. Currently, the national average is only 15 percent compared to 50 percent in 1969.

“We are a totally walking school,” Grabl said. “We’ve worked very hard to create safe walking routes for our students, but still many get dropped off at school. We also want to promote healthy lifestyles for our students, and walking to and from school is an easy way to do that.”

The school was awarded $250 to help support the safety committee, and the names of students who completed the ‘Walk More in Four’ challenge were eligible for a drawing for a new bike. Sixth grader Marquez Nonu won the bike provided by UDOT.

“We use this program to get students motivated about walking, as well as teach them about safety,” Grabl said. “We focused on walking in groups and getting to and from school using only the safe routes.”

UDOT was very impressed with how many students at Majestic were willing to take on and complete the walking challenge.

“We commend Majestic elementary for starting the school year off on the right foot by walking and biking to school and for setting a good example not only for students and their parents, but also for other schools,” Robert Hull, UDOT director of traffic and safety, said. “The efforts of Majestic and other schools have reduced traffic around schools and have encouraged healthy activities for children.”

Grabl says students can’t wait for next year’s competition to start.

“Even with the weather turning, our students are walking to school and are ready to do even better next year.”