Outride Bike Program Helps Students and Volunteers Build Bikes for BEST

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Bert Edwards Science and Technology School (BEST) has been selected for the Outride Bike Program. On Saturday, January 11, 2025, volunteers from the local mountain bike community and Bicycle Cafe, along with students from Mr. Wood’s Grade 6/7 class came together to build 30 brand new mountain bikes for BEST students.

Outride is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth through cycling. The Outride Bike program provides grants, research, and cycling programs to empower youth to experience the social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of cycling. Since 2012, Outride has partnered with nearly 400 schools and granted $2M+ to over 250 cycling programs, impacting up to 50,000 youth annually. Several District schools have previously benefited from the Outride Bike Program, read more here.

BEST students were excited to see their new bikes being built earlier this month and expressed that they can’t wait to get to ride them this season. One student named Dom shared, “teaching kids how to build things and use their hands helps kids learn new skills that they normally would not get, like how to shift properly.” While other students expressed how this program provides opportunities to learn new skills and try different activities – Isobelle shared that the program “gives us physical activity and allows us to learn another activity,” and Kaia shared that the the newly built bikes “offer kids a chance to use a bike if they don’t have one.” Tae-Ya shared that this experience offers students the chance to think about different types of careers as they “learn the skills of a bike mechanic as a potential job one day.”

Thanks to the Outride Bike Program, students will get to use these newly built bikes to learn basic biking skills and safety in the spring. Programs like this ensure that all students can experience new learning opportunities and life experiences that reflect the values of the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan — Relationships and Connections, Equity, Well-being, and Sustainability.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped students build their bikes and to Mr. Wood, who applied for the Outride Bike Program grant, organized bike building day, and will be teaching BEST students in an upcoming Bike Club class.