Oakridge is a vibrant and thriving elementary school serving the Arlington Ridge, Aurora Hills, Crystal City, Long Branch Creek and Pentagon City neighborhoods. Given the school’s location, close to DC’s embassies and the Pentagon, it has children from many other states and over 50 countries, representing all seven continents. With the lowest reported staff drive alone rate (from the APS GO! 2013-2014 survey) and about 50% of the students riding the bus, Oakridge is already ahead of the game when it comes to safer, healthier transportation. But the school knows it can beat its best, and looks forward to doing more with Champions.
Schools Champions
As an Arlington Public School (APS) site, you can be recognized and rewarded for your dedication to sustainable transportation.
Through the APS partnership with ATP, your school or site will see immediate benefits, including:
- Reduction of vehicle traffic around/to school and around neighborhoods
- Improved employee health, well-being and productivity
- Increased school sustainability goals
- Neighborhood and community enhancements
- Arlington County site plan compliance
As a Schools Champion, you will receive great perks and opportunities to be featured around the County. Every Champion is recognized and rewarded; however, the higher your level, the more benefits your school receives.
Discovery is the newest elementary school in Arlington Public Schools. Discovery is the first net zero school in Virginia, and is grounded in the concept of sustainability. Students and staff embrace alternative modes of transportation to and from school. They walk, bike, car-pool and ride the bus. Go Explorers!
Glebe Elementary is an important part of the North Glebe Road community between Lee Highway, Washington Boulevard, Fairfax Drive and North Quincy Street. Glebe students attend Spanish class three times a week and participate in the school’s S.M.Art (Science, Math, Art) Project. Glebe has a weekly Bike, Walk & Roll to School Day to encourage active, healthy lifestyles and several teachers bike to school daily. Glebe is aiming to be a Gold Champion in 2015-2016!
Swanson Middle School, located in Westover, celebrated its 75th birthday in 2015, and is the oldest continuously run middle school in the state of Virginia. Home of the Admirals, Swanson proudly promotes scholarship, service and spirit. Biking and walking is already popular with the 1000-strong Admirals, and the school participates in Walk/Bike to School Day in the Fall, and Bike/Walk to School Day in the Spring. Swanson looks forward to increasing awareness of transportation options to and around the school while helping improve safety in the Westover community.
Abingdon Elementary School, opened in 1950, introduced its fine arts and technology program, Project GIFT (Guiding Instruction through Fine Arts and Technology), to increase student achievement while providing personalized instruction. Abingdon Elementary also participates in healthy biking and walking events including Walk/Bike to School Day in October, Bike/Walk to School Day in May, and Bike to Work Day for staff, also in May. In addition, Abingdon conducts student travel tallies, and shares transportation information with staff. The school is planning to celebrate “Super Commuter” employees in the 2015-2016 school year as well as continuing to participate in bike and walk events.
The Arlington EAP provides services to employees of the Arlington County Government and Arlington Public Schools and their family members. The mission of Arlington Employee Assistance Program is to have happy, healthy and productive employees. The EAP staff walks, bikes and uses transit as much as possible, and encourages all APS employees to do the same!
Facilities and Operations Management provides oversight and authority for facilities planning, capital improvement programs, aquatics, building and grounds maintenance, custodial services, energy management, and transportation. Approximately 3.9 million square feet of space in 39 buildings and more than 400 acres of land are managed and maintained. About 240 buses, vans, pickups, sedans, trailers, and moveable equipment are included in the bus and support vehicle fleet. In addition to all of that, APS Facilities and Operations supports ATP’s Champions program by working to reduce vehicle traffic around all APS locations.
Arlington Community High School is an alternative high school for students whose life circumstances have interrupted their schooling. Arlington Community High School seeks to support students in their goal of graduating from high school as well as planning individualized goals for future college and career pathways. Staff and students understand the importance of public transportation, biking and walking as a way to help achieve goals. Arlington Community High School, with a slightly older student population, is a huge and active supporter of Capital Bikeshare and has set a school-wide goal of rapidly moving up Champions levels.
Ashlawn is a close-knit neighborhood school and has a well-deserved reputation for being a friendly, caring place where most of the families know each other by name. The diverse student population reflects the changing demographic in Arlington, with families from over 30 different countries and cultures. Located next to Bluemont Park, Bon Air Park and several convenient multiuse trails, Ashlawn has plenty of opportunity for biking and walking. Ashlawn staff and students take pride in taking care of the planet and understand the importance of sustainable transportation.
Drew Model School is a neighborhood, County-wide elementary school serving the immediate Nauck neighborhood and residents throughout Arlington County. The two instructional programs, Graded and Montessori, focus on the Four A’s – Academics, Appreciation, Accountability and Arts. As a Bronze Level Champion, Drew Model School shares information with staff and families about transportation options, and is looking into increasing biking and walking participation to complement existing activity clubs, such as Girls on the Move.
The H-B Woodlawn Program is based on a proposal developed by Arlington students and teachers over forty years ago. The program is designed to give students more control over their education, and prizes self-motivation and self-discipline. Students, chosen by lottery from across the County, make choices in use of time and personal behavior; educational goals; and school governance. By participating in the Champions program, the H-B Woodlawn Program seeks to encourage different transportation choices for students and staff alike.
At Nottingham, academic excellence flourishes in a learning environment that all stakeholders in the community work cooperatively to maintain. Students receive a nurturing, challenging educational experience that stimulates intellectual curiosity and encourages critical and creative thinking. Nottingham understands the significant impact that physical activity has on education, and students are encouraged through organized events to walk and bike to school as much as possible. Through Champions, Nottingham Knights will enhance their healthy, sustainable school and remove even more cars off the road.
The Syphax Education Center is the location of APS’ Department of Instruction, which provides leadership in the development of curriculum and the implementation and evaluation of the instructional program. The staff works with schools on methods of assessing student learning, emphasizing a variety of approaches which include objective tests of knowledge and skills as well as more complex measures of students’ abilities to apply what they have learned.
The northernmost Arlington middle school, Williamsburg Middle School has been around since 1954. The Williamsburg Wolves were recognized as one of 12 schools in Arlington that earned a 2014 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) award for advanced learning and achievement. Along with its new neighbor, Discovery Elementary School, Williamsburg encourages biking, walking and carpooling for staff and students to help the environment and to be more active.
Yorktown High School, located in northeastern Arlington, is one of three high schools for students in grades 9-12. A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and ranked in the top 1% of the nation’s top high schools but the Washington Post’s Challenge Index, Yorktown’s diverse student body stays busy with a wide range of programs and extra-curricular activities. Yorktown already has a strong bicycle presence, staff who carpool, and is located right on an ART bus line. Through participation in ATP’s Champions program, Yorktown aims to increase its multimodal usage.
After completing BRONZE, SILVER and GOLD Levels, complete one additional action:
- Achieve a 10% reduction in staff drive-alone rates
- Achieve a 20% reduction of parent pickups/drop offs
- Achieve 30% staff enrollment in the APS Transportation FSA
- Apply for Best Workplaces for Commuters designation
- Apply for Bicycle Friendly Business designation
- Complete 2 additional SILVER Level items
- Complete 1 additional GOLD Level items
After completing BRONZE and SILVER Levels, complete three additional actions:
- Commit to 20% reduction of parent pickups/drop offs
- Conduct National Safe Routes to School student tallies
- Conduct surveys to tally staff travel modes
- Earn priority carpool parking signs by creating staff carpools
- Increase staff enrollment in the APS Transportation FSA
- Install secure, indoor bike parking for staff
- Provide covered outdoor bike parking for students
- Provide gym/changing facilities on site for staff
- Offer on-site transit training for students
After completing BRONZE Level, complete three additional actions:
- Contribute content to ATP’s blog, social media or newsletters
- Engage staff and students in biking, walking and transit (complete at least two actions):
- Assist the Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator to promote SchoolPools to parents
- Create a bicycle repair kit to have available for staff and students
- Host the ACCS Mobile Commuter Store to promote iRide
- Maintain records of staff participation in bike/walk programs
- Recognize staff who regularly bike, walk, carpool or take transit as “Super Commuters” on social media, at staff meetings, on bulletin boards or at school assemblies
- Offer pedestrian and bike basics education as part of health or PE classes
- Start, maintain or promote after-school bike clubs
- Support walking buses, bicycle rodeos and other active transportation activities for staff and students
- Host a wellness, benefits or transportation presentation for faculty and staff with ATP
- Increase staff carpooling: Host informational carpooling events with ATP; Share the APS Commuter Connections ridematching website with staff
- Participate in at least three of the following events: Car Free Day (September), Walk/Bike to School Day (October), Bus Safety Week (October), Love the Bus Week (February), Fire Up Your Feet (Spring or Fall), Crossing Guard Appreciation Day (March), National Walking Day (April), Bike/Walk to School Day (May), Bike to Work Day (May)
- Work towards school-wide goals: Adopt a nearby bus stop; Invite ATP and SRTS to Open House/Back to School Nights; Install display case/brochure holder and/or electronic display screen providing multimodal transportation information and/or set up a bulletin board dedicated to transportation options
Complete three actions:
- Appoint a volunteer Transportation Coordinator
- Distribute transportation information to staff, students, parents and visitors: Provide Quick Glances to all staff, update the school’s website to include multimodal transportation information, Include transportation options in event announcements and promotional materials
- Encourage staff enrollment in the APS Transportation FSA
- Host an annual ATP meeting and maintain relationship
- Post Guaranteed Ride Home information in staff common spaces and actively promote
- Survey staff to update travel patterns