Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

How Free Bicycles Became The Answer To An Education Problem

A Detroit high school principal made a bold decision that transformed her students’ lives by giving every single one of them a free bicycle, addressing chronic absenteeism in a way that goes far beyond just getting kids to class. Principal Michelle Davis of Davis Aerospace Technical High School watched as students like 17-year-old Elyazar Holiday struggled with a two-hour, four-bus commute covering 20 miles each way, knowing that Detroit’s limited yellow bus service and unreliable city transit system left many families without viable transportation options. The bikes, funded through community donations, helped nearly 100 students reduce walking time to bus stops, escape dangerous situations, and arrive at school on time instead of showing up exhausted or not at all. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped by more than 14 percentage points in just one year, and has fallen nearly 23 percentage points since 2018.

But the impact went far beyond attendance numbers, as students discovered a newfound sense of freedom and independence that many had never experienced before. Teenagers used their bikes to get to after-school jobs, driver’s education classes, mentorship programs, and simply to explore their city with friends during summer breaks when they previously felt stuck at home. The bikes also provided a layer of safety in a city where many young people fear violence on their way to school, giving students the ability to quickly move between bus stops or escape threatening situations. Davis emphasized that while the bicycles solve one problem, her holistic approach includes providing free clothing, hygiene products, laundry facilities, and addressing every barrier that might keep a student from showing up ready to learn, proving that sometimes the most innovative solutions come from simply listening to what students actually need.

PrevPreviousThey Were Endangered Since The 1980s But They Are BACK
NextThis Preschooler’s Response To A School Lesson Is Saving Dogs In MichiganNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

This Award Show Is Finally Returning Soon

February 7, 2026

Billboard Women in Music is returning in 2026 to celebrate another year of women’s excellence in the music industry, with the annual awards show taking place at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles to recognize the bold vision, global influence and artistic excellence of women transforming music across all genres.

Read More
Happy News

McDonald’s Brings Back Most Requested Happy Meal Toy

February 7, 2026

McDonald’s announced it is bringing back the Changeables Happy Meal featuring nostalgic toys originally launched in 1987 that transform from McDonald’s menu items like French fries into robots and dinosaurs, marking the return of what the company calls “the most requested” Happy Meal toy from the past. The Changeables officially

Read More
Happy News

Fourth Graders Get Music Lesson From Rihanna’s Husband

February 7, 2026

A$AP Rocky headed back to a Harlem elementary school to teach kids a thing or two about rap for the Wednesday episode of Celebrity Substitute, where Mr. Mayers’ class was in session and fourth graders got a crash course in hip hop from one of the neighborhood’s most famous success

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.