Grant program brings bikes to Franklin’s middle school

In the Franklin Community Middle School gymnasium, students secured their helmets, got on their bikes and started pedaling, gliding across the floor.

The spring semester marks the first time the school has held a bike program in recent memory. It was made possible with a grant from Outride, a non-profit organization based in Morgan Hill, California, which has provided bicycles and helmets for about 260 schools across the United States and Canada since it started in 2012. The grants don’t have a specific monetary value, but in the fall, a truck arrived at the school with 35 bikes and 35 helmets, an estimated value of $30,000, said Esther Walker, Outride’s research manager.

The Outride team focuses on how sustainable a bike program would be at each school before they award a grant, she said.

“We look at, do they have access to a safe storage location for bikes and can we connect them to a local bike shop to make sure the bikes are kept up and sustainable?” Walker said. “We also look at the needs of the school and if there’s a large population of (students receiving) free and reduced-price lunch before we bring it to a community.”

About 38% of students at Franklin Middle School receive free and reduced-price meals, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education.

Physical Education teacher Cord Dorsey and P.E. games teacher Mindy Bangel received training through Zoom over the summer, and Grey Goat Bicycle Company in Franklin helped them assemble the bikes once they arrived. In January, students hopped on the bikes for the first time. The bike unit is part of a revamped middle school gym program that now also includes swimming and weight training, Dorsey said.

“It’s kind of cool, getting the kids different opportunities,” he said. “Some kids love the bikes, especially those that don’t have different avenues to see what fitness looks like in their world. We’re looking to branch out of this. (Superintendent David) Clendening has some contacts and we’ll see what a cycling club looks like if we get that opportunity.”

Once Outride officials donate the equipment, they keep tabs on each program to see how students are benefiting from it, Walker said.

“Every year with our school programs, we collect data to evaluate how to improve the program and we really want to understand the impact the program is having on students,” she said. “We look at the changes in perception to bike riding, the changes in students’ mental wellbeing and what we see from the beginning of the program to the end.”

So far, the students are loving it. The bicycle unit has helped seventh grader Koby Dillon vastly increase the amount of time he spends riding bikes, Dillon said.

“I feel like at home, I’ve really only had one bike and I rode it maybe once a year,” he said. “With this class, it’s almost every week, if not every week. I learned how to do the pre-ride inspection, checking the tire pressure, the helmet check. I know a lot of people ride bikes when they’re younger, and now, if I ever need to, I’ll be able to.”

Even for more experienced riders like seventh grader Brayden Scheckles, the program has its benefits.

“I think every kid should learn how to ride a bike,” Scheckles said. “It’s good for your mental health and physical health. When I’m riding, the cool breeze in my face makes me feel good and I feel more energetic and it helps me work out my legs.”