BIDDEFORD — “It’s healthy for you,” said Tia Hall, as to why she was participating in the Biddeford schools’ third annual Walk to School Day bright and early on Friday morning.

The fourth-grade student, along with her sister, Shay, who is in first grade, were among hundreds of Biddeford students from kindergarten through eighth grade who were taking part in the event. Even some of the high school students got involved by helping to chaperone students to their classrooms.

On Walk to School Day, students either walked, were dropped off by parents or took the bus to Waterhouse Field where they met up with their classmates, said third-grade teacher Karen MacNeill. Then, in waves, students walked to their respective schools.

The only students who didn’t participate were those whose parents signed an exclusion slip.

“I didn’t get one” parent opting out, said MacNeill.

Community Bicycle Center volunteer and Program Director Andrew Burnell, who was one of the main coordinators of Walk to School Day, estimated that more than 95 percent of the students took part.

The Community Bicycle Center, an after-school program, 5210 Let’s Go and the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition worked with the Biddeford School Department Wellness Team to organize Walk to School Day.

Katarina Delatorre, a kindergarten student, whose parents usually drive her to school, said she was walking to school “for Earth Day.”

Earth Day was April 22.

Her mother, Stacy Delatorre, said she had her daughter participate in the event because “it’s good for the environment, and it’s fun to get everyone together and do something as a group.”

Brian Pelletier who had accompanied his son Dylan, a kindergarten student, to Waterhouse Field said he thought the event was a good idea because it was nice for the children to “get outside and get fresh air and exercise.”

Martin Grohman’s son Henry, a kindergarten student, was also taking part.

His son usually rides the bus to school, although sometimes they walk, said Grohman.

“It’s nice to promote walking to school. It’s a good event,” said Grohman. “Plus, it’s a beautiful day.”

John F. Kindergarten Center Principal Paulette Bonneau said the day fosters and encourages activity and exercise.

“It’s good for community building, it’s good for school building and it’s fun for the kids,” she said.

“We feel it is important for all of our students to have increased physical activity and healthy nutrition in an effort to decrease childhood obesity,” said Bobbi-Jo St. Peter in an email.

St. Peter, who is the chair of the Biddeford Wellness Team, which is the main organizer of the event, said “childhood obesity has become a nationwide concern; according to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.

“The Walk to School Day is one of the many efforts that we do to educate and introduce students to activities that keep them physically active and practice healthy nutrition,” she said.

“Research shows that children who get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day, their brains are more active,” said Burnell. “This carries over to the classroom, at home and everything after.

“That’s the main message we want to get out,” he said.

Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Ray was at Waterhouse Field in support of Walk to School Day.

“The kids really enjoy this,” he said. “It’s just too bad we can’t do it more.”

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].