Trailblazers of TaOtha
We want small bikes!
Sometimes the smallest voices start the biggest things.
At TaOtha Community School, the youngest students put their request in writing. The wheels they set in motion haven't stopped since.
A beautiful day to be on bikes at Chief Big Belly School with youth from the Tsuut’ina and Bearspaw Nations.
Photo courtesy Carla McGruer
Born Adventurers
Last fall, Spirit North visited TaOtha Community School with a fleet of bikes. Kids were excited and ready to roll. The youngest students couldn't join in, though: the bikes were too big for them. They would have to be patient.
But the kindergarteners at TaOtha are born adventurers. Sitting on the sidelines didn’t feel right. With support from their teacher, Dana, they decided to do something about it.
Together, they wrote a simple letter to their principal, Mr. Green.
“We want small bikes.”
And just like that, the kids became trailblazers.
Mr. Green read the letter and acted quickly. Soon, smaller bikes were ordered. Before long, a new fleet of bikes arrived at the school, sized perfectly for the youngest riders.
Spirit North Community Program Leader, Carla, remembers the moment it all clicked. What started as a "big kid" activity became a whole-school moment. The youngest riders started on training wheels, legs pumping, determined. Before the snow came, they were balancing on two wheels and riding right alongside everyone else.
“It feels like everything we’re trying to do came together in that one moment. It’s about building those relationships where a student feels empowered to ask for an opportunity, and we—the teachers, the principal, the mentors—simply say ‘Yes’”
Learning, laughing, and riding together
Photo courtesy Carla McGruer
Finding new paths, one ride at a time.
Photo courtesy Carla McGruer
“We want our kids to develop new skills, overcome fears, and learn outside. Our littlest ones wanted to do what the big kids were doing, and I agreed it was an unnecessary barrier. Even some of our most apprehensive students have found joy through biking.”
Looking toward Spring
The snow is still resting on Black Mountain, but at TaOtha, the students already have one question on their minds:
“When can we ride again?”
This June, students from Nakoda Elementary will join the TaOtha riders on brand-new trails just across the road. Two communities riding together for the first time.
What began with one small request has grown into something much bigger than bikes.
The smallest trailblazers found their voice. And now, the whole community is rolling with them.
Getting ready to roll.
Photo courtesy Carla McGruer