STONEY NAKODA – Excitement echoed through the gymnasium at the Morley Community School Monday morning (March 4), as students cycled laps on brand new mountain bikes they assembled with their own hands only minutes earlier.
“It was fun,” Elias Labelle, 12, said in-between laps.
Riding a full-sized, fresh out of the box, Devinci bicycle that he put together himself, the Stoney Nakoda pre-teen said this will be his very first bike.
“It feels good. I want to go ride around [my] house, there is a lot of forest and trees around and it’d be fun to ride through there,” Labelle said with a smile.
The Morley pre-teen was riding one of the 35 mountain bikes that were donated through the PinkBike – Share the Ride not-for-profit organization and by local supporters.
Students spent the morning learning how to put together mountain bikes of all sizes before hopping on for a quick spin around the gym.
Juleil Lefthand, 12, agreed the event was a great experience after pedalling around chairs set up for the afternoon celebration.
“For myself I enjoy biking a lot and I enjoy being outside ... we need to get people outside more [rather] than just staying inside,” she said.
Encouraging youth to enjoy the outdoors and be active is just one of the many reasons Stephen Exley got involved with the PinkBike – Share the Ride organization years ago.
“We work with the local bike shops and look for the schools with [staff] who mountain bike themselves. We want someone who is invested and Emily [Parkin] said yes right away,” Exley said.
The donation of the new mountain bikes adds to one of the many gears turning in a Stoney Nakoda movement to get youth outside and active. Earlier this year, the Nakoda Elementary School launched a new hockey and literacy program with the Canmore Eagles and this week Morley Community School students participated in the Spirit North end-of-season celebration, a program seeking to bring together Indigenous youth through skiing while offering to improve health and well-being.
“Since 2014, the bicycle has been a tool for change within the youth that we work with at Morley Community School,” said Morley Community School teacher Emily Parkin. “Gaining a fleet of bikes will allow for our programming to have a greater impact across all grades.”
Parkin added the school has also been involved with Two Wheel View, an annual bike trip for students, for the past five years.
The event was originally scheduled to kick-off in February, but due to wind-chill temperatures reaching below -30 C on the original date, the celebration was rescheduled to March 4. But better late than never, according to the Morley Community School principal Judy Anderson, as she is confident the students will make “good use” of the new two-wheelers.
After the students were done with their test rides, the mood for the afternoon remained upbeat as the gym filled with traditional powwow dancers and the school band the Rolling Stoneys took to the stage for the celebration.
“As soon as the snow melts you’ll be riding these bikes outside,” Anderson said during the festivities.
School officials revealed future plans of adding a bicycle shop in the current wood shop room so the students can learn proper maintenance and have “many opportunities in the future to
enjoy the bikes.”
“These are for you,” Anderson said with a smile.
Last year the PinkBike’s Share the Ride program donated 25 new mountain bikes to students at Exshaw School. This year, 15 of the mountains bikes were donated through PinkBike with the remaining bicycles donated by donors and nearby local businesses such as Outside Bike & Ski in Canmore.
“This donation will help to get our students outside, connected to the land in a completely different way,” Parkin said.
“The possibilities are endless.”
