SHENANDOAH — A cooperative effort between the Shenandoah Rotary Club and Shenandoah Valley School District will lead to a community walking course around the district campus in the near future called the “Rotary Way.”
Shenandoah Rotarian and school district Superintendent Stanley G. Rakowsky made the announcement during his report at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
“It’s a true ‘town and gown’ relationship,” Rakowsky said, referring to the school district being an active part of the borough community.
Rakowsky explained the walking course diagram on how the path goes around and through the campus on existing roads and walkways.
“The path has an incline, but no steps,” he said. “There are no infrastructure costs to be expended. These are all areas that we have to keep clear, even in bad weather.”
The course is about 1,900 yards, or just more than one mile.
“What we’re planning is a dedication sometime in the spring that will tie in with the Healthy Shenandoah project,” Rakowsky said.
The Healthy Shenandoah project is sponsored by Schuylkill County’s VISION, Schuylkill Health, Healthy Schuylkill Communities and Shenandoah Senior Living Community. A free Healthy Shenandoah community expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Shenandoah Senior Living Community.
During his superintendent’s report, Rakowsky told the school board and the public about the walking path.
“Rotary has been in the community since 1922. The club has done many good things, the club continues to show it’s not done yet,” Rakowsky said. “We talk about the Rotary way of doing things, about service above self for the community, and what better way to show this by calling the path the ‘Rotary Way.’ ”
Rakowsky added, “When I say ‘town and gown,’ it gets the community involved. It gets our students involved. We’re enthused about it, and I think it’s something that is very positive. If it improves the health of our citizens individually, it will improve this community, and that is this school district’s mission. We’re part of the community.”
The Rotary Way initiative also includes:
• Establishing a memorial garden at the beginning/terminus of Rotary Way between Centre Street and the elementary school where benches and shrubbery will be placed and maintained for the enjoyment of all.
• Creating a sense of ownership with the school district by allowing student use of Rotary Way for daily student physical education classes along with promoting the display of student art works with particular attention to painting murals on the building wall owned by Shenandoah Beer Distributors facing Elementary Road.
• Placing trash/recycling containers along Rotary Way to emphasize aesthetic and environmental concerns can coexist with the benefits of better health gained by exercising.
• Placing benches along Rotary Way to provide respite for those enjoying the outdoor scene in a more relaxed manner.
• Sponsoring regular activities throughout the year to include organized races/walks benefiting designated charitable causes.