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Early in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses and schools, physical education teacher and Central Connecticut State University alumnus Alex Clark ’14 explored ways to keep his Washington, D.C., high school students engaged and active.
He conducted Zoom exercise classes for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and sought new ways to keep students motivated as the weeks and months dragged on. It was when Clark was riding his bicycle around D.C. that he had an idea for an original activity.
“I wondered if my students had ever seen the city this way. If they’d ever seen the trails,” he said. “So, I started fundraising to buy bikes for my students.”
Clark describes growing up in East Hartford and knowing he wanted to be a gym teacher for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Phys Ed teacher,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in youth development and the values you instill in young people. I was a lifeguard and was coaching football. I just had that gift of being able to empower young people.”
Working in a large city, Clark said he has lost about 16 students to gun violence. As a result, he looks for ways to keep them off the street and discover different outlets. He tries to find activities where his students could learn more about themselves.
“The biking program has been great because we’re introducing areas of the city these kids have never seen before,” he said. “Some of these kids have never seen green spaces, and I take them to wooded areas they’ve never seen before. This has really just opened their eyes. Biking has become another option to try to get to school, get around, or get out of their neighborhood. It gives kids a sense of freedom.”
In the summer of 2020, Clark put out a message on Facebook saying he wanted to start a cycling program for Washington, D.C., youth. It was seen by and piqued the interest of city attorney Chris Merriam and his wife.
“My wife and I are avid cyclers and have done riding and racing for lots and lots of years. We’re also involved in youth development in cycling,” Merriam said. “I reached out and got in touch with Coach Clark to see how we could join and help out. Our son, who is a junior in high school, joined the program as well.”
Merriam said he has seen how well Clark works with the kids and has made the program, known as Prime Ability, a thriving success.
“It’s amazing, really,” Clark said. “I started with a Go Fund Me campaign, and now we are fully sponsored by Trek Bikes. We have over 50 to 60 kids throughout Washington, D.C., on our racing team, and then on Wednesdays, we attract hundreds of people for our rides after school.”
Merriam and his family have seen Prime Ability grow, continuously attracting new riders. Members of the Prime Ability cycling team regularly compete in National Interscholastic Cycling Association races in and around the city.
“One of the things that impressed me is the program’s had really great consistency with a core group of kids who’ve been with the program since ninth grade and are going to be seniors,” Merriam said. “These kids have developed into leaders for the new kids.”
While Clark instructs students in ninth through 12th grade, Prime Ability is open to children as young as sixth grade. In addition to teaching young people proper riding skills for biking in the city, on trails, and when mountain biking, the program also teaches proper bicycle maintenance and repair. It has become part of the Dunbar High School Tech program.
“The bike shop we built this year is totally stocked. We’ve certified and educated some of the kids on bike repair and assembly, and we’re trying to certify more kids,” Clark said. “On Wednesdays and Fridays, we do bike (mechanics) education. We bring in individuals from the community who can teach these skills. It’s been a huge success. We’ve also found that it’s a way to really boost attendance. We launched the maintenance program in August 2022, so now we’re giving these students valuable job skills that they can take out into the world.”
Merriam said he was not surprised to learn that Clark was named D.C. Physical Education Teacher of the Year and the Office of the Secretary Superintendent of Education D.C. Teacher of the Year runner-up for 2023.
“He’s just been a fantastic leader,” Merriam said. “It’s one thing to have an idea and it’s another thing to make it work day-in and day-out and be able to work with an administration. He’s just got endless energy in figuring out how to do this and make it happen.”
Clark and his cycling program were featured in local media, as well as in Time and Bicycling magazines. He said he believes it could be implemented successfully in other communities.
“I think it would be great to see this happen in other communities,” he said. “I’m a fan of anything that makes a positive difference in kids’ lives.”
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