In December, 97 exuberant third-graders at Thorman Elementary in Tustin scored bicycles — for many, their first ever.
They came to the assembly expecting the announcement of just a few winners of a writing contest. Instead, San Diego nonprofit Bikes for Kids surprised everyone with a stage-full of two-wheelers.
Last week, the students celebrated their gifts in a “bike rodeo” held on campus.
Children tried their skills at obstacle courses, while Tustin Police Department officers demonstrated how to negotiate the orange cones on their motorcycles.
And, it goes without saying, all rodeo riders sported the helmets that came with the bikes.