What is a Walking Bus?

A Walking Bus involves a group of children walking to school together, led by adult volunteers, such as parents. Similar
to a traditional school bus, it follows a designated route and schedule, allowing children to meet at specified stops before walking to school under supervision.

Benefits of a Walking Bus

• Promotes Physical Activity: Walking helps children meet their daily exercise needs, combating obesity and improving overall health.
• Enhances Safety: Walking in a group increases visibility and safety. Adult leaders assist children with traffic navigation and safe crossing practices.
• Builds Community: Fosters connections among families and neighbors, creating a sense of belonging and community spirit.
• Benefits the Environment: Reduces car traffic and emissions, promoting a healthier environment.
• Alleviates Traffic Congestion: Minimizes cars around school, making drop-off and pick-up times safer and less chaotic.

How to Start a Walking Bus

1. Gather Interest: Connect with other parents to discuss forming a walking bus group.
2.  Plan Your Route: Identify a safe route with sidewalks, crossing guards, and pedestrian crossings. Visit the City of Takoma Park’s “Map Your Route” page to find recommended and safe paths.
3. Set a Schedule: Determine a pick-up and drop-off schedule that aligns with school hours.
4. Recruit Volunteers: Find adults willing to supervise the walking bus. Adequate supervision is key to safety.
5. Communicate with the School: Inform your school and the Special Project Coordinator Kaysi-Ann Webley (kaysiw@takomaparkmd.gov) about your walking bus plans, for additional resources, or for suggestions.
6. Promote Your Walking Bus: Use flyers, or school newsletters to inform other parents and encourage participation.
7. Hold an Orientation: Organize a session to explain the walking bus operation and address questions before the school year starts.

Pedestrian Road Safety Tips

• Look Both Ways: Always look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
• Use Crosswalks: Cross streets only at designated crosswalks or intersections.
• Stay Visible: Wear bright or reflective clothing to ensure drivers can see you.

Get Involved!

We invite you to consider launching a walking bus to your school. This initiative promotes health, safety, and community engagement. Takoma Park is committed to providing safe walking routes to all our schools. We encourage parents and students to visit our Safe Routes to School page. On that webpage, detailed maps outline the safest paths to each school in our Safe Route to School Program highlighting designated crosswalks, crossing guards, where sidewalks are missing, and routes that minimize exposure to vehicular traffic.

If interested or needing support, contact Kaysi-Ann Webley at kaysiw@takomaparkmd.gov or visit bit.ly/SRTSRoute for more resources.

Let’s work together to make this school year a safe, active, and enjoyable experience for our children!

This article appeared in the September Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

The Takoma Park Arts series will return this fall with more free arts events at the Takoma Park Community Center, including an art exhibition, concerts, and an improv musical.

Organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities division, the series features free events in the Takoma Park Community Center auditorium at 7500 Maple Ave. No tickets or reservations are required, but donations are accepted to support the performers.

“We’re very excited to share the arts with local residents and visitors in free performances,” the city’s Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith says. “We provide honorariums, extensive promotion, and a state-of-the-art venue to support artists and performers from across the D.C. area, which enhances Takoma Park’s well-earned reputation as an arts-friendly city.”

More than 1,500 people attended 13 Takoma Park Arts events during the 2023-24 season. There’s more info about our upcoming events here and at takomaparkmd.gov/arts, where you can sign up for the Takoma Park Arts e-newsletter.

Takoma ARTery Exhibition
Opening Reception

Friday, September 20, 7:30 p.m.

Artwork by local artists from the Takoma ARTery group will be featured in a group exhibition in the gallery spaces at the Takoma Park Community Center. The artwork branches across a wide range of mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media.

The Takoma ARTery is a local volunteer-run group of artists that organizes artwork displays at the Historic Takoma building, Olive Lounge, and other locations. Many of the artists’ work also is featured in an online artist directory at takomaartery.com.

D.C. Labor Chorus

Friday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.

Featuring singers from Takoma Park and other communities, the D.C. Labor Chorus will lead an audience sing-along of some favorite civil rights and peace and justice songs.

Led by director Elise Bryant, the chorus includes about 25 members of various ages, races, and faith traditions who have performed at concerts, rallies, demonstrations, and picket lines. Some of the singers are current or former union members, and every member actively supports the principles of liberty and justice for all.

iMusical Improv Musical

Friday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.

What’s going to happen during the iMusical performance? No one is sure yet, including the actors since they will be improvising a live musical on the spot.

Based at the Washington Improv Theater, iMusical has performed at the Kennedy Center, theater spaces, and comedy festivals on the East Coast. Founding director Travis Ploeger created the improv group in 2006 after moving to D.C. from New York City.

At the beginning of a performance, the group of about six actors takes suggestions from the audience for the theme of the show and then creates a musical with completely improvised scenes, lyrics, and music with piano accompaniment.

“I wanted to create an improvised musical not to satirize the genre but to celebrate it, having warmth and poignancy as well as comedy,” Ploeger says.

For Takoma Park’s frontline police officers, knowing the community they serve is one of the most important parts of the job.

“The officers know very well where they work with Takoma Park being a diverse and politically active environment,” said Lieutenant Matt Muzzatti, Takoma Park’s patrol operations commander. “They are what the public sees first hand of the government. Most scenarios, officers are arriving because something happened and people need assistance. Officers understand today’s political climate and that it’s their responsibility to maintain public trust.”

Takoma Park is unique from other jurisdictions of its size in having its own police department and not relying on the Montgomery County police to patrol its streets.

“We’re a very special area surrounded by three very different jurisdictions,” said Muzzatti. “We’re a full-service department so
we don’t rely on Montgomery County, but we have a relationship with them as well as Prince George’s County and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. That comes with all the nuances that all the jurisdictional lines bring.”

Muzzatti says understanding the diverse make-up of Takoma Park is integral to being able to keep the community safe.

“We know very well that Takoma Park has a large immigrant community,” said Muzzatti. “Some may not be here legally, so we try to stress as best as we can that calling the police will never call into question on their legal status. What concerns us is keeping the community safe. Most of our teams have one to two Spanish speaking officers. They are very happy to see us for the most part.”

Muzzatti also says the Takoma Park police department is always looking to the future to guide its policies, even leading the nation on reforms to address community concerns.

“The residents hold our agency to a very high standard,” he said. “We definitely want to meet their concerns. Takoma Park police is an experiment on how policing can look in the 21st century, and we look to see what’s the next evolution. Our department was fully fitted with body cameras before most others were even thinking of it. We also had restrictions on chokeholds well before the George Floyd incident.”

He says they department takes public sentiment very seriously and that they are well aware of the concerns of the public, especially after the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I don’t think any officer wants to become the next St. Louis or Ferguson,” he said. “We don’t want to end up on the news or be known as a department that operates in that manner.”

While Takoma Park is relatively safer than its neighbors, Muzzatti says a lot of that has to do with how quickly they’re able to respond to issues that may come up.

“I’d say we’re absolutely an outlier in Takoma Park regarding crime rates,” he said. “Takoma Park is like a fish bowl and all these officers are circling the outside, so we keep a lot of crime out of the city. We’re constantly keeping crime out. With Takoma Park, potential criminals don’t know that the officer could be responding from just a  block away. We have success in reducing crime in the city when it comes to comparing the agencies.”

The city currently has nearly 40 officers who patrol the streets in 12-hour-long shifts, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“I used to work the night shift,” Muzzatti said. “I was working from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. I’d check emails to see what occurred during the daytime, conduct a roll call with my officers, and from there we go out on patrol—and for 12 hours we’re patrolling the city.”

Muzzatti says it takes a special type to become a police officer in Takoma Park, with officers choosing service to the community above everything else.

“The average law enforcement officer chose to work this job, not because it pays well or has great benefits,” he said. “I think a lot of these guys choose to work in law enforcement because it’s an interesting job and very rewarding. It comes with a lot of job satisfaction, but it’s a hard job.”

Muzzatti says the city is always recruiting new officers with entry-level salaries starting at $65,090 and going up to $87,476, based on years in service. For more information, visit the City of Takoma Park Police Webpage.

The Takoma Park newsletter will be doing profiles on some of the city’s frontline police officers over the next months. If you have a story you’d like to share about how a city police officer helped you, email seang@takomaparkmd.gov.

This article appeared in the September Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

The City of Takoma Park was awarded $26,000 from the Maryland Department of Aging’s Aging in Place grant program to support the Village of Takoma’s Small Home Repair Program. The City of
Takoma Park also matches the grant with some of its own funds, bringing the total to $30,000.

Takoma Park’s Code Enforcement division will use the funds to work with the volunteers of the Village of Takoma Park to underwrite the cost of materials for repairs and accessibility modifications for senior homeowners in Takoma Park and Village membership dues for those for whom that expense is a hardship.

The Village has a team of volunteers who perform repairs and modifications for Village members, with members responsible for the cost of materials. Underwriting the cost of construction materials and accessibility aids removes the barrier of members needing to cover those sometimes-costly expenses themselves. Expanding the reach of this program helps ensure that older residents live in homes that are safe and meet their changing needs.
Call the Village of Takoma Park at 301- 646-2109 to request help.

Aging in Place Grants

The Aging in Place grants are part of the Maryland Department of Aging’s strategy to increase the resources and capacity for local agencies on aging, senior villages, and nonprofit organizations serving older Marylanders and their caregivers. The funds go to providing high-quality services and support, developing social connection and community engagement, and fostering the cultivation of social capital, enabling older Marylanders to thrive in their communities.

This article appeared in the August Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

As summer draws to a close, the City of Takoma Park is gearing up for another school year filled with learning, growth, and, of course, safety. Montgomery County Public Schools are back in session on Monday, August 26. Whether your child walks, bikes, or takes the bus to school, it’s essential to be aware of the best practices for navigating our streets safely. Here are some valuable tips and resources to help ensure a smooth and secure transition back to school:

Safe Walking Routes:

Takoma Park is committed to providing safe walking routes to all our schools. We encourage parents and students to visit our Safe Routes to School page bit.ly/SRTSRoute to access detailed maps outlining the safest paths to each school in our Safe Route to School program. These maps highlight

designated crosswalks, crossing guards, where sidewalks are missing, and suggested routes that minimize exposure to vehicular traffic.

Biking Safely:

For students who ride their bikes to school, it’s crucial to follow all traffic laws and wear appropriate safety gear, including helmets. Ensure bikes are equipped with reflectors and lights to enhance visibility, especially during early morning or late afternoon hours when daylight may be limited. Parents, be sure to reinforce good biking habits with your children.

Crossing Procedures:

Teach children to use designated crosswalks and always wait for the crossing signal or for traffic to come to a complete stop before proceeding. Encourage younger children to cross streets with a trusted adult or older sibling whenever possible.

Visibility Matters:

As the days grow shorter heading into fall, visibility becomes increasingly important. Consider adding reflective gear or clothing to your child’s attire, especially if they walk or bike during dawn or dusk hours. Bright backpacks and jackets can also help drivers spot pedestrians more easily.

Walk to School Day Wednesday, October 9:

Join schools across Takoma Park in celebrating this national event promoting the benefits of walking and biking to school. It’s a fantastic opportunity for students and families to experience firsthand the joy of active transportation while reinforcing safe practices.

Volunteer Opportunities:

We’re seeking volunteers to start and support walking and biking buses throughout the school year. These volunteer-led groups will help ensure safe travels to and from school by organizing supervised walking and biking routes. If you’re interested in contributing your time and making a positive impact on our community’s safety efforts, please contact Kaysi-Ann Webley, special projects coordinator at kaysiw@takomaparkmd.gov.

As we prepare for the new school year, let’s work together to prioritize safety on our streets. By following these tips and participating in community events, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable school year for all Takoma Park students. For more information and resources, visit bit.ly/TKPKSRTS.

This article appeared in the August Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

Kokoe teaches teen and senior (55+) hip-hop dance classes for the Recreation Department.

Can you tell us about your journey in dance?

My dad used to play music when my mother was pregnant and put the speakers to my mom’s belly. When I was delivered, it was said I started to cry, but as soon as my dad put on his favorite Lucky Dube tune, I started to move!

At the age of 2, I was placed on my mom’s Afro-tribal Caribbean dance team to be the showstopper. We traveled around the USA and even got to dance at the White House for Bill Clinton and for the president of Sierra Leone.

Then, by the age of 5, I joined my grandmother’s liturgical dance team and learned ballet and modern dance movements. When I turned 9, I started doing cheer, poms, and step for the Wheaton Boys and Girls Club. At 13, as a CIT [counselor-in-training] under Long Branch Community Center, I started a dance team with elementary school-aged kids and my peers.

At 14, I met my best friend from New York, who introduced me to break dancing and hip-hop movements. And at 15, I became captain of the JV cheer team at Wheaton High School. Then, in my senior year of high school, I started a Christian dance team, and we danced to Christian hip-hop music. At 17, I started the Advanced Dance Workshop at Washington College, where we studied cultural dance pieces from India, Ireland, the Caribbean, and the Dominican Republic.

Last, in 2014, I was afforded the opportunity to teach dance to the students at the Takoma Park Teen Lounge, with an emphasis on dance therapy in line with my mental health class. I was able to help the students leave their emotions on the dance floor, grow in confidence, and learn public speaking and leadership skills. I was able to follow them throughout their high school and now college careers to see the impact. That’s how I knew dancing was part of my personal mission.

What styles of dance do you specialize in, and what drew you to these particular styles?

I specialize in African, Caribbean, hip-hop, modern, step, liturgical, bachata, poms, and chair dance (for the elderly), with a focus on dance therapy. I want to continue learning, so I am currently taking classes in line dancing and hand dancing to grow as both a teacher and a student. I believe dance helps people expand their minds, travel, and be introduced to new cultures. It also helps individuals release built-up tension and emotions that have been pent up in the body. Additionally, dance serves as a form of communication.

How would you describe your teaching philosophy?

I love integrating the rich cultural traditions of West Africa and the Caribbean with the expressive and empowering elements of hip-hop and other dance styles. I believe movement is a form of therapy that promotes healing, self-expression, and connection. By drawing on the rhythms, life experiences, and storytelling of individuals, dance can facilitate personal growth and wellbeing, ultimately creating a tasteful and meaningful dance piece.

How do you keep your classes engaging and motivating for your students?

I offer a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged to participate. We also do dance journaling. I regularly ask for feedback from students and their parents and help them track their progress. Additionally, I hold homework help sessions to encourage them and emphasize that it takes a whole person to dance!

What are some common challenges your students face, and how do you help them overcome these challenges?

One of the biggest challenges my students face is allowing school drama to impact their focus and performance. Youth can be easily distracted, especially by things that won’t matter in the future. To combat this, I create an open environment where they feel comfortable discussing their problems with me. I use these opportunities to empower them to rise above the distractions and be the bigger person in all situations.

Can you share a memorable or rewarding moment from teaching dance?

In 2014, I taught a dance class at Takoma Community Center with middle school-aged students. I was able to follow one of my students through high school and college, and the dynamic shift in her dance style and personality blows my mind. She came into my class as a timid young lady who used to cry a lot because of things going on at home, which also showed up in her dance. But now, everyone says she is a carbon copy of me! She is now a dance teacher herself and always tells her students about me. Recently, one of her students joined my class because of her, and at the end of the class, she surprised me by showing up as a guest.

If you could collaborate with any dancer or choreographer, who would it be and why?

Wow, this question is hard. I don’t only have one dancer or choreographer that I would like to collaborate with—I have four. I would love to dance with Misty Copeland, Debbie Allen, Alvin Ailey, and Fatima Robinson! If I had to choose only one, it would be Alvin Ailey. To me, he is one of the originators of African American dance. Learning his styles and movements helped me elevate and hone my dance techniques. I wish he was still alive to teach me.

Debbie Allen is packed with a wealth of dance knowledge, and I think I could learn from her when it comes to owning my own dance business.

Misty Copeland is so light on her feet and executes every movement effortlessly, I would love to do a ballet/hip-hop routine with her.

Last, Fatima Robinson is one of the baddest hip-hop choreographers in the game. I feel like we could teach each other and create an atomic dance routine that might even start a new genre!

This article appeared in the July Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.