Pedal Power: East High Bike Repair Club Awarded $5,000 Grant

East High family and consumer science teacher Emily Sonnemann and rising senior Andy Nguyen accepted a $5,000 grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund to help grow the school’s new Bike Repair Club. 

The grant was presented during the recent Youth Climate Action Funds Award Ceremony, held as part of the Madison Out of School Time (MOST) conference. Funds will be used to purchase necessary tools, supplies and equipment, potentially including new bike racks for the benefit of the East High community. 

“The cost of car ownership is so high, and as Madison continues to grow, so, too, do traffic and congestion,” Nguyen said. “Increasing the use of bikes helps mitigate that, and also combats climate change, because it's eco-friendly.”

The Bike Repair Club was established by Nguyen, with help from teacher-advisor Sonnemann, in May of 2024, with the goal of increasing ridership among East High students and staff, and equipping the community’s cyclists with practical knowledge that will allow them to keep their bikes on the road. The Bike Repair Club is open to all members of the East High community, and meets weekly every Thursday, during the school’s lunch period.

“This club is further proof that East High students are globally minded and future-oriented, particularly when it comes to environmental issues,” said Sonnemann. “This grant gives them an active way to help in the fight against climate change, which is empowering and hopeful.”

All recipients—selected by a committee composed of staff from the City of Madison, UW–Extension, and United Way of Dane County, as well as students from area high schools—youth-led initiatives underscored by environmental responsibility and supportive of the City of Madison’s Sustainability Plan. 

As part of its own commitment to sustainability, MMSD has a stated goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2045, and has prioritized incorporating sustainable design elements in the renovations of its high schools, sponsored by the 2020 facilities referendum, and in the buildings identified as part of its upcoming 2024 facilities referendum.