Students, teachers launch bikeshare, repair program at CWDHS

FERGUS - Students and teachers in the student success department at Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) plan to support mental health and wellness via the bicycle.

With financial support from the Royal Bank of Canada, the school received a cheque for $1,000 to help purchase the first tools and repair stand for the CWDHS Bikeshare and Repair program.

It all started with discussions about underutilized bike parking at CWDHS between teacher Matthew Arnold and students in the student success department and evolved into the recognition of a lack of cycling infrastructure in Centre Wellington.

Arnold, an avid cyclist, has been commuting to and from work for the past nine years via bicycle.

“The first expression you see on someone’s face when they push off again, for the first time is a smile,” Arnold said.

“It happens in the four-year-old kid the first time they ditch the training wheels or on the face of a 40-year-old who just dusted off their bicycle after a decade. Cycling supports not just physical health, but also mental wellness.”

In an alternative education setting, Arnold hopes the repairing and administration of the bikeshare program will provide reliable, free transportation to students at the high school while helping to build confidence and skills for the future.

The program, which includes such credits as workplace law and politics in action, is helping students develop problem solving skills, wellness and resiliency, Arnold said.

The next semester will see Arnold and his students partnering with The Bicycle Tailor and True North Cycles to gather bicycles and parts and arrange visits to build knowledge of repair procedures.

Other components will include consulting local stakeholders, attending council meetings, learning cycling safety in partnership with law enforcement, and eventually planning cycling trips with the class.

For more information call 519-843-2500 x 532.