Rain doesn’t deter Carson City students from walking to school

Every morning, Emma Young, 13, walks about a half mile from her home to Carson Middle School. But she doesn’t stop there. She walks a couple of blocks past the school to meet up with her friend and the two walk together.

“It’s fun,” Young said. “I get to spend time with my friend.”

The two were joined Wednesday by throngs of students throughout the Carson City School District — and the state — who walked to school as part of the annual Nevada Moves Day.

While some students continued their daily ritual of walking to school, others tried it out for the first time.

Siblings Macie and Jaydon Wilson, both 13, walked on Wednesday in honor of the statewide initiative.

“It’s motivating to walk to school instead of just getting a ride,” Macie said. Her brother interjected, “It was good except for the rain.”

The weather didn’t slow down the students at Fritsch Elementary School, who met at the corner of Winnie and Ormsby lanes to walk together as a group.

“You should exercise so you don’t get fat,” Kaiden Kuhlman, 9, explained.

“You can stay healthy,” Brooke Landis, 8, elaborated.

Principal Dan Brown said the school has experimented with meeting at different locations, finding the one that worked best.

“We love it,” he said. “As a school, we’re working on getting more kids to walk or ride their bikes to school.”

Carson City District Court Judge Tom Armstrong joined his two children, fifth-grader Natalia and kindergartner Miles, on the morning jaunt.

“I do this walk every year,” he said. “I remember walking to school as a kid, and you don’t see many people doing it anymore. It’s a great way to get some exercise first thing in the morning and stretch your legs.”

Riley Kuhlman, 8, had some advice for those who might be discouraged by the weather.

“The rain might go away,” she said. “Don’t let it stop you.”