'It's part of the culture': Walk Safely to School Day celebrated early

Students from Cressy District High School donned shirts for the initiative this week to promote road safety awareness and the value of exercise.

Chase Shelton said it was important to look both ways before crossing the street, while Milly Tole added that kids should hold hands with an adult and listen for traffic.

School principal Mark Gleeson wanted to emphasise a "safety first mindset" when walking to school.

"We've got a really busy road here in Cressy at times with trucks and things like that," he said.

"Making sure that people are crossing the street the right way is really important to us."

Mr Gleeson said walking to school was integral to Cressy District High's identity.

"Many of our families who live locally walk to school together every morning," he said.

"So whether we're part of the program or not, it's part of the culture of the school."

The principal added that there was also a health aspect to the program.

"A lot of the data is telling us that kids don't get as much physical activity these days as they may have done 10 or 20 years ago," he said.

"So having the ability to walk to school is a great way to start the day."