Safe Routes to School Committee Honored

Posted August 21, 2025, 1:43 PM. Updated August 21, 2025, 1:43 PM.

The community schools initiative anchored by Whittier Elementary and Wilson Middle Schools receives the One Albuquerque Spirit Award.

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Committee has received with the One Albuquerque Spirit Award for transforming safety, belonging and walkability in Albuquerque’s International District. This community schools initiative anchored by Whittier Elementary and Wilson Middle School was recognized for its leadership in alleyway activations and the Walking School Bus program. During the 24-25 school year, the program was a biweekly pilot, but successfully scaled to five days per week.

The award was presented on Aug. 14 by Mayor Tim Keller to community school partners, including Albuquerque Police Department SE Area Command, Elderhomestead and South San Pedro Neighborhood Associations, CABQ Open Space, BernCo Urban Agriculture, Boys and Girls Club of Central New Mexico, New Mexico Black Leadership Council, Project Feed the Hood, and Community School Impact Coordinators Kelly Davis and Leah Garcia.

Alleyway activations are community-led efforts to reclaim and transform neglected alleyways into vibrant, safe and walkable spaces. In the International District, where approximately 80 alleyways total nearly 10 acres, students and neighbors are reshaping infrastructure through murals, gardens, restorative justice circles and pedestrian improvements.

The Safe Routes to School program is a community school initiative that was invited into a larger, neighborhood revitalization program in the International District. To get involved email either Kelly Davis: kelly.davis@aps.edu or Leah Garcia leah.garcia@aps.edu.

SRTS Committee Cropped

24-25 School Year Alleyway Activations Impact

264 students and 187 adults directly participated in 2024–2025 activations.
9 murals painted and 10 restorative justice connection circles led by Wilson Student Council.
1,425 total volunteers mobilized, representing a critical mass of student and community presence.
$48,225.60 in leveraged resources for supplies, programming, and community care.
75% reduction in trash reported in the Wilson Trailway alleyway, making formerly unsafe spaces clean and inviting.
84 needles removed and multiple routes re-planned to avoid encampments and unsafe areas.

Advocacy Outcomes:

Student-led efforts helped secure speed humps and safety signage on Cardenas Street in front of Wilson Middle School, addressing long-standing traffic hazards.

Examples:

October 8, 2024: The inaugural activation established the Wilson Trailway in the South San Pedro Neighborhood. All involved painted murals and participated in gardening lessons from Project Feed the Hood.
April 30, 2025: The first Victory Trails activation created a three-alleyway trail system with the Wilson Trailway and Constellation Boulevard. The theme of this activation was “Together We Rise, Like Balloons in the Land of Enchantment.”

By centering student vision, these activations move the community toward the Student Council’s goal to shift from “a culture of violence to a culture of belonging.”

Walking School Bus

The Walking School Bus (WSB) is a daily, supervised walk-to-school program where students walk together along designated routes, supported by volunteers and trusted adults. What began as a limited pilot is now a five-day-a-week movement serving hundreds of students.

Impact Data:

70 Walking School Bus walks completed during 2024–2025.
824 student walkers safely accompanied to school.
544 Safe Passages documented along walking routes.
333 safety concerns reported, leading to city-level interventions.
84 needles removed, unsafe routes re-routed, and adult volunteers trained to keep walks safe.

Equity & Inclusion:

Refugee and newcomer students are the most frequent walkers, with support in six languages, including Swahili, Dinkah and Kinyarwanda.
The program reinforces intergenerational access, showing that streets designed for kindergarteners are also safer for elders and residents with limited mobility.

Student & Community Benefits:

Students arrive at school on time, energized and ready to learn.
Families gain confidence in neighborhood safety.
The Walking School Bus doubles as a community watch, strengthening ties between schools, families and civic partners.

Working parents can arrive at work on time and trust that their children are safe.

Together, the Alleyway Activations and the Walking School Bus demonstrate how student-led presence, creative transformation, and broad partnerships can reclaim public space, improve safety, and create a culture of belonging in Albuquerque’s International District: one walk at a time.