Teacher at Coronado Elementary School Goes Above and Beyond; Student Gets a Ticket to Ride!

"Some of the best and most rewarding learning takes place outside of the classroom, in the opportunities offered through extracurricular activities" says Hank Rowe, NBCT and Mountain Bike Club coach at Coronado K-8 Elementary School in the Amphitheater Public School District .

During her eighth grade year, a number of Angel Wyckoff's friends were members of the Mountain Bike Club and Angel kept asking "Can I join the club"? The response was "Sure, we are going out on the trail today." Angel would meet the club on the trail that day and for several days to come but always without a bike. Finally she pulled Mr. Rowe aside and confided in him that she didn't know how to ride a bike.

Having four children of his own, Rowe was experienced in teaching a child to ride a bike. He was just surprised that someone in eighth grade had never ridden a bike before. Her first day out, they went over the basics, fit her with a helmet, and headed out to the grassy field in case she fell. In fairly short order she had her balance down, and before the end of the day she was riding laps around the track all by herself!

The Mountain Bike Club at Coronado K-8 is a junior club within the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Students learn bicycle skills, safety and maintenance, as well as hands on teaching of what makes a good trail and keeps it safe to ride. The club is an extracurricular activity and students must be passing in order to participate.

This year Mr. Rowe will implement "tutoring time" for the students to work on their homework while he prepares the bikes for the ride. Rowe says, "We promote a life-long activity for kids. But the most important thing is that we just have fun."