Let’s Go Bike Safety Education Brings Communities Together

Cascade’s Let’s Go – Local program is a standardized physical education unit available to students in Seattle, Edmonds, and Highline public schools that reached 32,000 students in grades three through eight during the 2025-2026 school year. It is a beloved part of the year for students and teachers alike. Nothing beats the excitement of a trailer full of bikes and helmets arriving on the playground to be used in the gym and on the blacktop to support students in learning to safely bike in their neighborhoods.

While safety is the primary objective, Let’s Go is also about the bigger picture. It’s about community and spending time with the people you love in the place that you live and having the tools you need to get where you’re going. It’s about making bike transportation accessible.

So how do we bridge the gap between in-class skill-building and the real world, when our youth are out and about on their bikes with their families and friends? This spring, Cascade’s Let’s Go – Local team had the pleasure of supporting several afterschool bike events in Seattle, Edmonds and Highline to do just that!

Move-A-Thon

On March 25, Cascade joined Ms. Jun at Wing Luke Elementary in partnership with SESSFA and Safe Routes to School for their Move-A-Thon Bike Rodeo and Bike Disco group ride! The ride was made up of kids as young as four years old all the way through middle schoolers and their families, teachers and school district staff. 

Students from five South Seattle schools biked from Wing Luke to Dunlap Elementary to South Shore K-8 to MLK Jr. Elementary to Aki Kurose Middle School and back, dropping off students at their prospective schools along the way. It was a great opportunity for students to practice their bike and traffic safety skills together, supported by the adults who love them. 

Parents and teachers cheered youth on from the sidewalks all along the route as music blasted and adults provided street crossing support at busy intersections. At each school stop there were snacks, water and more encouragement. Students utilized the bike signalling, scanning and handling skills they learned during their Let’s Go units out in the neighborhood with much success.

Bike to School Month

Just after Move-a-Thon season came Bike to School season for Seattle students. Cascade was delighted to join Concord Elementary in partnership with Safe Routes to School for their yearly kickoff to Bike to School Month. The effort was led by longtime teacher Kate Ayers who has led this event for the past 26 years! 

Students were welcomed to school that morning with fresh watermelon slices and clip-on recording sheets to tally up the time they spend throughout the month walking, rolling and biking. This time-honored tradition at Concord puts active transportation into perspective for young commuters. 

Edmonds Alley Cat Ride

On May 6 we gathered at Sherwood Elementary for their infamous alley-cat style Bike to School Day ride through Edmonds led by PE faculty member and Let’s Go teacher Pamela Thain. Over 200 students pedaled together with assistance from parents, teachers and city officials. 

Just down the way from Sherwood, Martha Lake’s Heather Williams is planning a Bike to School ride for her students that will debut next spring with the support of the fire department! 

James Baldwin Bike Rodeo

Let’s Go coordinator Rowan Eriksson and I got to join a wonderful after school Bike Rodeo at James Baldwin Elementary on June 4 organized by speech pathologist David Andrade and supported by our wonderful partners Brooke Nelson at Safe Routes to School and Lori Dunn at Seattle Public Schools. 

Parents and older siblings joined students as they used the school’s traffic garden to practice their biking skills with friends. Safe Routes gave away helmets and snacks to youth, and we brought a fleet of bikes to be used for the day. It was so fun to zoom around with kids who were still learning to ride and for them to get to show off their skills to their families! 

“One of the biggest takeaways from these experiences was seeing how cycling brings people together,” Rowan reflected afterward. “It was really meaningful to watch people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds connect through something as simple as riding a bike.” 

Bikes for 5th Graders at Highline Schools

During the final few months of the school year, Cascade coordinated with teachers and administrators at six Highline elementary schools to distribute bicycles, helmets and lights to 400 fifth grade students after completing the Let’s Go program. Teachers went the extra mile to coordinate bikes for their students and organized celebrations to commemorate their students rising into middle school equipped to ride their commute. 

As we head into summer, our team looks forward to new and continued partnerships with local community organizations to connect what students learn in their classroom with out-of-school riding opportunities. We believe the bike can be a year-round access point for our students, their families and our communities. Cascade’s Let’s Go – Local team is here to help! 

My co-worker Rowan said it best: “I feel like this is something we really need right now as a community. These events are a great reminder that cycling isn't just about getting from one place to another, it's a way to build community and create spaces where everyone feels welcome.”

Learn more about Let’s Go – Local

The Let’s Go program in Highline Public Schools is supported with funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) through Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov