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Riding a bike to school can be tough in Nome. The roads have tiny shoulders and only a handful have sidewalks. On Tuesday, students at Anvil City Science Academy tried a safer way to make the trip – together.
It was an overcast, windy day in Nome, but that didn’t stop ACSA student Tessa Timbers-Payenna from joining.
“We woke up early and had a big breakfast,” she said.
"I had eggs, bacon and cinnamon and sugar toast," her classmate, Paige Lewis, chimed in.
Timbers-Payenna was joined by nearly two dozen other middle schoolers. Parent of an ACSA student, Jeff Collins, led the route that started at the Nome Recreation Center.
“Nice job coming to the first bike bus. It's going to be hard because we're going to be going into the wind, I’m going to say that right away,” Collins told the group.
The route included stops to pick up more students at Old St. Joe’s Church in the center of town and at the Icy View Neighborhood halfway between downtown and the ACSA campus.
Before getting underway Collins laid out the rules for the ride, which included several road crossings. He demonstrated a whistle he would use to signal when to stop or go.
ACSA Principal Emily Annas organized the Bike Bus event after seeing a similar ride in Portland on social media. As the group set off to the west, Annas watched with a smile plastered on her face.
“I love our kids, and I love our community, and I just want to do things that are like core memory events, and I hope for them this is a core memory because I know for me it will be,” Annas said.
The latest incarnation of Portland’s Bike Bus began in 2022, and has since ballooned to include 32 different schools. Pop stars like Justin Timberlake and Benson Boone have joined for the boisterous Portland program, which includes a loudspeaker for music and unique bike frames. Annas said Nome’s Bike Bus isn’t quite as flashy, but comes with quirks of its own.
“We don't have sidewalks, we don't have bike paths, we've got muskox,” Annas said. “We have some shoulder to go over on, but in town there’s not a lot of room for vehicles and students.”
Annas said by riding together it's easier for drivers to spot them, making the four mile route safer. For the first ride, a police car up front and firetruck in the back helped too.
Some bikes were in better shape than others. The group made several stops to put chains back on gears and air up tires. Only one minor crash was reported.
Nearly an hour and a half after starting, the group rounded the corner of campus to cheers and handmade signs of encouragement.
With just days left on the school calendar, Collins said the ride was a good test for future events.
“Part of it is building the culture around it,” Collins said. “This is honestly the absolute safest ride I've ever been on."
In the afternoon, students strapped up their helmets for the ride home. 24 helmets were donated by Norton Sound Health Corporation, which hosts a Bike Rodeo event each spring to talk about injury prevention and help tune up bikes. The event is scheduled for 12 to 2:00 p.m. on June 6.
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