On a Roll: SCH Bike Program

Three years ago, a vision for teaching the youngest students at SCH how to ride a bike began to take shape. Now, that vision is a thriving reality, with kindergarteners confidently rolling along in (and out) of the Lower School gym.

The program, spearheaded by then-PE teacher and now-retired BA Fish, was launched in November 2022 thanks to a partnership with All Kids Bike. Fish received a summer shipment of balance bikes, setting the stage for what would become a highly anticipated unit in the kindergarten PE curriculum.

Two-thirds of Esther Hwang’s kindergarten class learned to ride this year through the program (the others already knew how). Together, the students made a “resilience” poster with photos of themselves on the bikes.

"Some were a bit nervous, but seeing the other kids starting off with just the balance bike made it less intimidating,” said Hwang. “Each lesson, their confidence would build. Their parents were extremely excited and proud of their boys for accomplishing this milestone.”

Currently, the cycling unit runs for two weeks, but the program has been so successful that current PE teacher Danis Mollick is looking to lengthen it. "We have had so much success," Mollick says, "that I would like to run it as a three-week program."