There were jackets to zip up and puddles to jump over, but the rain couldn’t deter Community Consolidated School District 181 schools from participating in their ninth International Walk to School Day.

The seven elementary schools in the district held special activities to celebrate the event, promoting the health benefits of walking to school and highlighting pedestrian safety.

“I enjoy getting the exercise and you help the environment by not using gas,” said Oak School fourth-grader James Usher.

Hinsdale police and firefighters came to Oak to discuss safety before Hootie, the school’s mascot, was sent off on his annual trip across the world. The miles students walk or bike, whether it be during the Rotary Run, lunchtime, gym class or even on family vacations, are added together to help get Hootie to his destination and back. This year the owl is traveling to Egypt, a round-trip distance of 12,296 miles.

Hinsdale resident Maryann Romanelli, who was instrumental in bringing the international day to the district, remembers the first time they hosted it back in 2000. After finding information online, Romanelli proposed the idea to the School Board and handed out fliers to get people interested. At that time, her son was at Monroe and they were trying to implement traffic calming efforts to make intersections safer.

From the beginning, Romanelli said it was a tremendous success, as school buses pulled up empty and parents found enjoyment in walking to school with their children.
Now, she said, more and more people are getting involved, not just locally but throughout the world.

“I see it as something that grew out of a necessity for safety and for the health of the kids and it has just blossomed,” Romanelli said.

She was out at Walker Wednesday morning with the students, and was happy to see that the rain did not discourage anyone from walking.

Over at Madison School, special guests such as U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-13th District, of Hinsdale and local police visited with the students.

“What’s really fun is the parents walk all the way and stay,” said Principal Mindy McMahon. “We had an unbelievable ceremony at the flag pole as the students sang a medley of patriotic songs and two second-grade scout troops raised the flag.”

McMahon said they also talked about the school in Zambia, Africa, that they will be connecting with this year where students walk a mile to get to school. Students discussed how lucky they are to have the option to walk and the safe community to do so.