Highlighting an Elementary Educator Finding Bicycles for His Students

Our Safe Routes Philly program is busy with its second year of encouraging Philadelphia elementary school students to safely walk or bike to school. In the course of working with educators to implement our curriculum, we meet many incredible men and women who have started encouragement activities of their own. Here is one of them:

Mr. Scott Kurzinsky is the PE teacher at Pratt Elementary (22nd & Susquehanna, in North Philly). He has been a valuable partner of Safe Routes Philly - he taught all of our curriculum last year and plans to do so again this year. On his own initiative, he started an earn-a-bike program at Pratt. We asked him about the idea.

A Pratt Elementary student with her earned bike

Q: What made you start the program?
A: I guess what made me start the program was when an organization donated a bike to me last school last year and I saw how happy the student was that earned it. I figured I would incorporate some type of bike give away program. So few of these kids have bikes.

Q: Where do you get the bikes?
A: I donated 2 of mine I had when I was growing up and I found 3 in the trash in West Chester (where I live). I fixed them up and a few others I have purchased off Craigslist (between $10-$20). I'm actually picking another one up today in Bala Cynwyd after school for $15.

Q: How to the students earn the bikes?
A: Students earn the bikes by getting 30 or more laps in our 10 minute run in gym class; 50 or more paces in the pacers test; 40 or more sit-ups in a minute; 50 or more side jumps in 30 sec; 5 or more pull-ups; or if a student breaks one of the school records.

For more information on Safe Routes Philly and ways you can bring bicycle and pedestrian safety lessons to your community school, contact our Program Director Diana Owens Steif here.