The sixth grader from Lima North Middle School was showing visitors to the Wheel Deal showcase on May 14 how much he’d learned over the past six weeks.
“You need to loosen that spoke that’s pointing that way, and then tighten the spoke that’s pointing the opposite way.”
Nearby, Olivia and Samuela showed visitors how to fix a flat tire – removing the wheel, locating the puncture, checking the tire strip, and making sure the tube was not pinched before putting everything back together.
The scholars were sharing with visitors what they had learned during the six-week “Wheel Deal” program, a partnership between Open Doors Academy, The Wheelhouse, and the City of Lima centered on bicycle knowledge, safety, and repair.
For Larry Cress, who co-founded The Wheelhouse with his wife Ginny, what stood out most was watching one scholar who could not ride a bike at the beginning of the program confidently riding just four weeks later.
“You could see her confidence build each week,” Larry said.
That confidence was visible throughout the showcase as scholars repaired punctures, explained mechanical problems to visitors, and taught one another along the way.
The final demonstration came in the parking lot outside Lima North, where scholars practiced hand signals and safely navigated the course on new bikes they received through the program – bikes they would soon take home and use throughout the summer.
The project was made possible through a partnership between Open Doors Academy, The Wheelhouse, and the City of Lima, which secured grant funding to support the initiative.
