Students at Tyrrell Elementary School in Columbia will participate in National Walk and Bike to School Day on Oct. 10 by walking around the track behind the school, Dr. Travis Twiford, interim superintendent, stated.

Sarah Exum, school guidance counselor, will coordinate the event.

Thousands of students, families, community partners, and elected officials around North Carolina are expected to celebrate the benefits of walking on National Walk and Bike to School Day and throughout the month of October, according to Angela Welsh, director of the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization.

Last year more than 300 North Carolina schools participated, making it the state’s biggest turnout for Walk to School Day yet, she added.

The first National Walk to School Day was held in 1997 and the first-ever National Bike to School Day was celebrated in 2012 across the nation.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School, the coordinating agency for Walk and Bike to School Day, is committed to empowering communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe, appealing, and preferred choice for families.