Burnett Elementary School student Gisela Rodriguez rides her new bike, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Pasadena. Pasadena ISD partnered with the nonprofit CYCLE, to use academic goal-setting to incentivize students to earn a free bike.
Second graders at Burnett Elementary exchanged elf hats for bike helmets on “dress as your favorite Christmas character” day last week, eager to make the trade-in after earning a free bike by meeting specialized reading goals .
The Pasadena Independent School District campus participates in a program each year directed by Cycle, a nonprofit organization that provides students in need with free bicycles if they meet certain academic goals. This year, the nonprofit gave away almost 200,000 bikes, and 7,200 were received by students in Pasadena, a 47,000-student district in southeast Harris County. Burnett Elementary School student Leo Diaz walks his new bike out of the school, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Pasadena. Pasadena ISD partnered with the nonprofit CYCLE, to use academic goal-setting to incentivize students to earn a free bike. After choosing the helmet of their preferred color and design and then a red or blue bike in the gym, students posed for a photo-op in front of the Burnett beaver mascot. A “cheer squad” of teachers congratulated each student on their accomplishment with a chorus of “congratulations” and “we’re so proud of you!” before they headed out the door.
Most students left with big smiles, bikes in hand, hopping right on the […]
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