Students Across Novato Walk, Roll to School

Students from throughout Marin County participated in International Walk and Roll to School Day on Wednesday morning, but there was added meaning to the effort Novato.

The city is still aching — and will for a while — over the loss of a 12-year-old girl who was killed while riding her bike home from school on Sept. 27. There are many questions that remain unanswered about the incident that took the life of Hailey Ratliff just a few hundred yards from her home in a western Novato neighborhood, but Safe Routes to School 

Wendy Kallins, program director for Safe Routes to School in Marin, told the Marin Independent Journal that the accident means "we have to be even more dedicated to safety and remind children and parents to take safety precautions. It also means drivers need to slow down."

In the San Marin neighborhood, dozens of students, parents, teachers, firefighters and police gathered on San Andreas Drive and walked the "secret" paths to school. Alice Dow, a mom and volunteer, said it was the seventh consecutive year the group gathered at her home before heading to school.

"The crowd gets bigger every year and the kids absolutely love it," she said. "We appreciate the teachers who come and walk with us, as well as our local firefighters and police. Everyone is smiling ... all is good!"

Down at Hamilton, Genny Boyd sent in photos and said smiling faces were  greeted at school with free Clif bars provided by Whole Foods plus Safe Routes magnets. 

If you took shots of kids walking or riding to school Wednesday, feel free to upload them here or e-mail them to brent.ainsworth@patch.com.