Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - This week, 100 Las Cruces Public Schools students will receive an early Christmas present, thanks to a generous gift coordinated through the LCPS Safe Routes to School program. Now in its seventh year, the annual bicycle giveaway is made possible through donations collected on behalf of Southwest Disposal. The company uses the funds to purchase bicycles that are given to students in need.

Ashleigh Curry, with the LCPS Safe Routes to School program, coordinates bicycle safety classes for the district, and gave students a final “ABCs of bicycle safety” discussion before letting students find the bicycles with their names on them. “A” is for air in the tires, “B” reminds students to check their brakes, and “C” stands for chain, and making sure it is properly secured before riding.

“One last reminder,” Curry told students on Wednesday at Highland Elementary School, “Don’t forget ‘D,’ which stands for dangly things! You can’t let lanyards, shoelaces or other things dangle into the chain and get caught.”

Several administrators at Highland were in the cafeteria during Wednesday’s event, including Principal Esteban Alvarez. Seeing his students' faces was a reminder that learning should always be fun.

“Those smiles say it all,” Alvarez noted. “They’re having fun, but the knowledge they’re getting is powerful.”

According to Curry, teaching safety and the rules of the road come before students are fitted with helmets and allowed to take a practice run around the cafeteria. Parents were notified to make arrangements and have the bikes picked up from school at the end of the day.

At Highland, Curry and representatives from Southwest Disposal had already given away bikes at Central Elementary. The rest of the week, they are scheduled to visit Jornada Elementary and Monte Vista Elementary on Thursday, followed by Fairacres Elementary and Conlee Elementary on Friday.