SSA plans the final Bike It! Day of the year

Francesca BillingtonStaff WriterSamohi Solar Alliance (SSA) will host the last Bike It! Day of the school year on May 22, aiming to promote bike safety through the help of various collaborations.Bike It! Day promotes biking and walking as an efficient alternative to fossil-fuel transportation. According to Amanda Bang (’13), one of three SSA presidents, the club has increased stress on bike safety this year. To increase safety, SSA is encouraging students to wear helmets.Bang said ASB assisted SSA in publicizing the event with the help of Caitlin Smith (’15) and David Lin (’15) as co-heads of publicity."We have helped [SSA] promote the event by making posters [and] signs to put up around campus as well as making announcements to homeroom classes." ASB adviser Bryn Boyd said.According to SSA co-president Noah Rosenberg (’13) the club is also collaborating with various groups to improve Samo’s presence as a greener campus, such as the organization Safe Routes to School.Rosenburg said that Samo is working to improve the access and safety of students that bicycle to school. Safe Routes to School will hold a meeting after school on Bike It! Day to discuss ways in which students can avoid using cars, and safely arrive to school on possible bike routes."[Safe Routes to School] is working on projects including on the Michigan Avenue Project, which is trying to turn [the street] into a bike [route] that will eventually lead past Samo all the way down to the beach," Rosenberg said.Bang's goal is that this last event will get more students involved in SSA. The club wants to ensure that more students join the alliance because most of its presidents are graduating."We want to make sure that SSA has plenty of underclassmen involved to keep the club alive and thriving for years to come," Bang said.Rosenburg said that the alliance hopes to have Bike It! weeks and months next year."I'm hoping this last Bike It! Day will show people how easy and fun it is to bike to school in hopes that they will do it more often," Bang said.fbillington@thesamohi.com