By Sarah Robinson 

The Selma Times-Journal 

Sophia P. Kingston Elementary students’ daily walk to school meant more Wednesday than it has all year long, as students headed to the building celebrating International Walk to School Day.

Held in October, the day is meant to create awareness about the need for communities with more accessible streets. Sophia P. Kingston stands behind the idea of promoting safety, healthy habits, cleaner air and other aspects associated with the International Walk to School Day.

“We’re just trying to get moving. We’re trying to stay moving,” said Erica Lumpkin, the Sophia P. Kingston physical education instructor. “We encourage them to walk, and we also encourage parents to walk with them.”

Students made their way to the school displaying the posters they designed. Each expressed a student’s support for the cause, which they celebrated for the first time Wednesday.

With obesity prevalent in the Dallas County, Lumpkin said she is most concerned with the health aspect of the initiative, especially with advanced technology often causing the younger generation to be inactive.

“Technology does play a major role in why kids don’t move these days,” Lumpkin said.

“They have the Nintendo, the PlayStation and they don’t want to go outside and move.”

To coincide with the safety portion of the day, Lumpkin offered some tips students should keep in mind when walking to school.

“They need to stay on the sidewalks and use the ‘buddy system,” Lumpkin said.

International Walk to School Day was first organized in 1997 to be celebrated amongst the US. In 2007, the event grew as the UK, Canada and the US collaborated for the first international day.

Participation in Walk to School Day reached a record high in 2013, when more than 4,400 events registered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and many others.