Monee Elementary ‘Bike Bus’ Initiative Promotes Safe Routes and Healthy Habits

Crete-Monee Board of Education Meeting | May 12, 2026

Article Summary: Monee Elementary School successfully hosted an inaugural “Bike Bus” event, partnering with local police and community members to safely guide students riding their bicycles to school.

Monee Elementary Bike Bus Key Points:

• Assistant Principal Mayetta Ali spearheaded the initiative after seeing the concept on social media, aiming to encourage healthy habits.

• The event required extensive collaboration with the school safety team, local police, and the Emergency Management Agency to close streets and ensure student safety.

• Demetrius Whitney of “Bikes in the Hood” donated bicycles and helmets for students in need, allowing the school to use grant funds for bike bells and participation certificates.

Students, parents, and grandparents braved the rain to participate in Monee Elementary School’s inaugural “Bike Bus” event, a community-driven initiative celebrated during the Crete-Monee School District 201-U Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

Monee Elementary Assistant Principal Mayetta Ali presented the project to the Board, explaining that the idea was sparked by a social media post. She collaborated with a teacher who regularly cycles to school to bring the concept to life.

“I just thought it was a great idea,” Ali said. “We got our safety team together. Of course, it’s volunteers in the building, and we pitched it to them to see if it was something that they felt like they wanted to do. It was going to take a lot of planning.”

To execute the “Bike Bus,” the school coordinated with Robin Tobias, School Resource Officer McCalpin, the local Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and the Monee Police Department to safely close down streets and manage traffic.

Community partnerships also played a vital role. Ali connected with Demetrius Whitney, the owner and operator of “Bikes in the Hood.”

“He donated bikes to our students who needed them. He donated helmets because we were going to use the money [from a grant] to do that, but we didn’t need to use the money for those items,” Ali explained. “Instead, we used those funds from the surveys that our students took to purchase bike bells and certificates for students who participated.”

Despite rainy weather, Ali noted a massive turnout of students and multi-generational family members. She emphasized that the event provided a unique opportunity for students in a community that lacks extensive sidewalks.

“We just thought it was just a great way to encourage healthy habits and help our kids feel safe riding in a community that doesn’t have a whole lot of sidewalks,” Ali said. “We saw a lot of courage and perseverance, all those things kind of ingraining in them: just don’t give up. Some of them really struggled, but a lot of volunteers who helped encourage students as they were struggling along the way.”

Board members praised the initiative.

“Anytime you can engage the parents and the students and get outside, it’s great,” said Board member William J. Sawallisch Jr. “Look, they were all out there riding bikes and had helmets on, and the EMA team from Monee, the police, the administration. Outstanding job. Everybody together.”