29 Fifth graders at the Eugene A. Tighe Middle School participate in the annual Bicycle Rodeo & Tour Wednesday, June 7.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – Ahh, the end of the school year. That’s when school children get the opportunity to go on field trips, sometimes right in their own backyard.
The Eugene A. Tighe Middle School Wednesday, June 7 held its annual Bicycle Rodeo for fifth grade students. About 29 fifth grade students in two classrooms at the Amherst Avenue school rode their bicycles to school and participated in a series of bicycle obstacle courses and safety programs in the schoolyard.
According to Sgt. Jessica Fane of the Margate City Police Department, students were able to register their bicycles, get them inspected and repaired, listen to bicycle safety recommendations and the rules of the road, and participate in several obstacle courses including serpentine, figure eight and maneuvering intersections and crosswalks.
Ptl. Jen Pullman met each student to register their bicycles to ensure that they have a better chance of being identified if they are lost or stolen. Each year, the department does registrations for a new crop of fifth graders during the bicycle rodeo, so those in the upper grades are already registered.
“Upperclassmen or younger children can always come to the Police Department if they get a new bike to make sure its properly registered,” she said.
Fane said Patrol Officers Max Lieberman and Ryan Mazzeo assisted with the annual right of passage to ensure children know how to share the road with motorists, especially during the busy summer season when flocks of visitors come to the shore.
Student Maya Allahan said she knows that she must move to the right when driving on city streets, and Chloe Gecewicz said she understands why she must always wear a bicycle helmet.
After the rodeo, students got a police escort on a tour of the city. They left the schoolyard and rode in a group to tour the Margate City Firehouse and Historical Museum on Washington and Ventnor avenues.
Students got to see how firefighters live in close quarters on the second floor of the historic building, and they watched a silent movie showing film clips from the 1930s that showed neighborhoods such as Marven Gardens, which is a deed on the Monopoly board game. Students got to ask questions about artifacts in the historical museum before heading back to school just in time for dismissal.
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