By Cameron Weston
PEDAL power is a hot topic at Mt St Joseph Girls College in Altona this year, with a new program encouraging students to saddle up and ride.
The school has started a new bicycle safety and riding course, designed to introduce students to the joys of two-wheeled transport and keep them riding safely.
The first stage of the project saw the school buy 23 new mountain bikes, equipment that program co-ordinator and physical education teacher Gavin Deller said would be treated as a valuable training resource.
A bike track is also being built around the school perimeter, allowing the students to gain confidence on two wheels in a safe environment.
“Our focus in the Phys Ed department is to get the girls active and one of the best ways to do that is on a bike,” Mr Deller said.
He said the school had big plans for the program, which he hoped would increasingly involve the wider community.
He said the school was keen to forge links with other local riding groups and organisations like Bicycle Victoria, VicRoads, local councils and police to help develop and extend the program.
Principal Regina Byrne said the project would encourage students to think about alternative transport options and the environment as much as personal health and fitness.
“There are the added benefits of being able to directly link (students) with their local community through the constantly growing number of high quality bike tracks in the West,” Ms Byrne said.
This would give them “the opportunity to explore their district and surrounding suburbs using a different mode of transport”.
Ms Byrne said that although the program would focus initially on teaching students to ride safely in the local area, lessons learnt could help Mt St Joseph girls a lot further afield.
“Our longer-term goal is to see our girls exploring areas within Australia and overseas by bicycle,” she said.
