From left to right: Scott Cowan, event sponsor and owner of Century Cycles in Rocky River, Medina, and Peninsula, Ohio; Sean Burkey, Territory Manager, Raleigh Bicycles; Jack Emmerich, winner/student at Bay High School; Alex Voiers, winner/student at Bay High School; Mark Smithburger, Athletic Director at Bay High School.Bay High School Bike To School Month sponsored by Century Cycles saved 14,350 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions

BAY VILLAGE (May 23) - Bay High School Bike To School Month sponsored by Century Cycles, a four-week program designed to encourage Bay High School (BHS) students to kick the car habit, ended today. It is estimated to have saved the environment the impact of 14,350 pounds of carbon dioxide. BHS students rode approximately 15,566 total miles, or about the distance from Alaska to Argentina.

At the school-wide assembly at Bay High School, Meredith Turner, Community Liaison from Senator Sherrod Brown’s office, presented Bay High School, the Project Earth Environmental Club, and Century Cycles with commendations from the senator, in recognition of exemplary service to the community, state, and union. In a statement read by Ms. Turner, Senator Brown praised the students for their commitment to the environment and encouraged them to keep riding their bicycles.

In the grand prize raffle, Jack Emmerich, a sophomore, won a Raleigh Mojave 2.0 mountain bike and Alex Voiers, a junior, won a Giant Boulder mountain bike. The bicycles, both valued at approximately $300 each, were provided by Century Cycles, Raleigh Bicycles, and Giant Bicycles.

Co-sponsored by Century Cycles and the Project Earth environmental club at BHS, Bike To School Month sought to educate students on the environmental and health benefits of forgoing motorized transportation, help them take a stand against high gas prices and in favor of their environmental concerns, plus reward them with prizes provided by Century Cycles as they accumulated bike-rides to school throughout the month. Hundreds of t-shirts, bike lights, bicycle computers, and urban backpacks were given away as prizes.

“This event was successful beyond our wildest expectations,” said Scott Cowan, owner of Century Cycles. “We are thrilled that on average over 200 students rode their bicycles each day, despite a cold and rainy May, and that they inspired their parents and the people around them to ride more, too.”

Plans are already underway to repeat Bike To School Month next school year at Bay High School, as well as at Bay Middle School and possibly other area schools.

By The Numbers:

543 students: Total number of students who signed up to participate in the program, out of a total school population of 820.

224 students: Average number of student bikers per day during Bike To School Month, April 28 – May 23.

363 hungry students: Number of students who rode to school the first day of Bike To School Month and consequently received a free burrito from Chipotle at Crocker Park.

34 teachers and staff: Total number of BHS staff and teachers who participated and transformed the experience into a commute to work.

125 even hungrier students: Number of students and faculty who rode the maximum number of school days (20) in the program, qualifying them to attend a Chipotle Burrito Party on Friday, May 23, provided by Chipotle at Crocker Park. This included Principal James Cahoon and Vice Principal Jason Martin, who rode to school every day on their bicycles (and, on one day, from Willowick; see “longest round trip” below).

1.74 miles: Average number of miles BHS students travel to get to school (average roundtrip: 3.48 miles).

15,566 miles: Estimated number of miles traveled by bicycle to school by the BHS student body (calculated using daily bike counts and average distance from home to school).

21 mpg: Average fuel economy of a U.S. automobile, according to The Climate Trust.

$2,883 saved: Estimated fuel savings by BHS student body during Bike To School Month, using 21 mpg average fuel economy and fuel cost at $3.89 per gallon.

19.36 pounds: Amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted as a result of burning one gallon of gasoline, according to The Climate Trust.

14,350 pounds: Estimated amount of carbon dioxide that was NOT emitted, thanks to BHS Bike To School Month sponsored by Century Cycles.

66 miles: Longest round trip to Bay High School, from Athletic Director Mark Smithberger’s house in Willowick. He rode it several times during the month, and on May 20 he was joined on the commute by Principal James Cahoon, Vice Principal Jason Martin, and science teacher Eryn Whistler.

5:00 a.m.: Departure time from Willowick, to arrive at Bay High School in time for work.