Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, April 26, 2010

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James Beers, who teaches at SCAPA Bluegrass, is helping the kids design and film public service announcements about bicycle safety. The ads will air on Channel 13, the school district's educational station.

As sunshine beckons more bicyclists onto trails and roadways, spring is an ideal time to remind everyone about the rules of the road. At SCAPA Bluegrass, students are creating public service announcements to air on Channel 13, the school district’s educational station.

“People can act, narrate or film – whatever they want to do,” said fourth-grader Hope Bennett, who said they are designing catchy, informative spots that appeal to all ages. “It’s all about teamwork and all of us doing our part to make the best videos we can.”

Guiding their efforts is math and history teacher James Beers, a cycling enthusiast who was injured in a bike accident last year. “For me, it’s a very close-at-hand, important thing,” he said.

In his case, an oncoming car turned left across his path, and his bike struck the front of the Ford Excursion. “I hit the hood so hard, the back strap of the helmet snapped off,” said Beers, who suffered severe bruises and totaled his bike. “It has changed the way I ride.”

While he has shared first-hand experience, the students have researched the material for their bicycle safety PSAs. Collaborating during two lunch periods and two days after school each week, they brainstormed nearly two dozen proposals before settling on a handful to produce in 30-second and one-minute spots.

“It’s important for kids to know how to ride bicycles properly,” said Hope, who is working on a PSA about driver distractions and crossing the street safely. “People like to listen to music or wave, but it’s not such a good idea. You really have to pay attention to what’s around.”

Other small groups have focused on bike helmets, hand signals and controllable speed. They also noted the importance of wearing bright colors and obeying posted rules. Some students even filmed a segment one Sunday evening in Veterans Park, where they talked about how bicyclists should pass joggers and pedestrians with dogs.

“They’re all equally important,” fourth-grader Tory Stephenson said of the ad messages.

Tory, who was particularly interested in learning to use the cameras, noted that powerful images and descriptive sounds can stick with young viewers.

In one ad, for instance, a cyclist rides on the sidewalk as a car backs out of a driveway. The screen goes black with an audible crash, and viewers then see the bike crumpled under the vehicle and the rider lying on the ground. The message for cyclists? Don’t assume a driver sees you.

“The activities, actions and wording need to be simplified so every 9- and 10-year-old knows what the point was,” Beers said in advising the script writers.

More than three dozen SCAPA student volunteered for the two-month PSA project, including eighth-graders to handle the final edits and sixth-graders to choreograph a new “Cha Cha Slide.”

“We’re turning the hand signals into dance moves,” said Grace England, who urged the younger kids to use sharp movements like a robot to illustrate proper technique as they practiced on the lawn one afternoon.

Sixth-grader Erin Disponette, who led the lyrics at rehearsal, suggested the “Cha Cha” ad could benefit cyclists and drivers as well since “a lot of people don’t know the hand signals.”

SCAPA’s ads likely will be ready for broadcast in mid-May. The PSAs are part of a districtwide bike safety education program for grades K-5.

Last fall, the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission awarded Fayette County Public Schools a $9,300 Paula Nye Memorial Educational Grant. Revenue generated by the purchase of “Share the Road” license plates supports the “It’s About Kids – Riding Bikes” program.

“Whether you’re a pedestrian, on a bike or in a car, you have rights and responsibilities,” Beers said. “The kids are becoming better citizens because they’re more in tune with those needs of the community.”