PE teachers Jaime Ramirez Hurtado and Jaime Hotchkiss model safe riding skills for students during Cascade Elementary’s Let’s Go bike safety unit.
At Cascade Elementary, Physical Education is helping students build confidence, safety awareness, and lifelong skills…all on two wheels.
Veteran PE teachers Jaime Ramirez Hurtado and Jaime Hotchkiss recently partnered with the Educational Service District’s Let’s Go bicycle safety initiative to bring hands-on biking instruction to Cascade. The unit reached approximately 300 students in grades 3–6, using a fleet of 30 bikes, including an adaptive three-wheeled bike that allowed all Life Skills students to rotate through and fully participate.
Cascade is one of several elementary schools across the district offering the Let’s Go curriculum, helping ensure students throughout the community have access to high-quality bicycle and pedestrian safety instruction.
The Let’s Go program delivers a trailer stocked with bikes, helmets, and safety equipment. The only requirement for schools is that PE teachers attend a training course, making the program accessible even for those managing large classes or feeling unsure about teaching bike safety on their own.
During PE, students learn the fundamentals of bicycle and pedestrian safety, including helmet use, road signs, and safe riding behaviors. Lessons also connect students to their community by highlighting local bike shops and the Apple Capital Loop Trail, helping them see biking as an option they can enjoy beyond the school day. Ramirez emphasized the importance of teaching students about these local places and resources, noting that “the majority of our students are now showing excitement. It’s sparked interest.”
At Cascade, instruction comes to life through a carefully designed practice “track” set up in the gym. Road signs are placed throughout the course, and students ride in different zones based on comfort level: more confident riders on the outer loop, while students who are still learning stay on the inner loop or work one-on-one with a teacher. This structure allows students to build skills at their own pace.
For many students, access matters. Where a student lives can affect how, or even if, they learn to ride a bike. This unit helps reduce those gaps by ensuring all students receive instruction, equipment, and encouragement.
Hotchkiss noted that confidence doesn’t always come right away. “Some are terrified at first,” she explained. “We try to make sure they are ok, then that they can have fun, but make sure they feel comfortable at first.” Over time, nerves often turn into pride. “The goal is to get kids familiar with bikes then excited about it,” she added.
With thoughtful planning and support, these teachers have created an environment where students build the practical skills they can use both in and out of school.
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