Imagine a nice, cool fall morning bicycle ride through Rocklin’s neighborhoods with all your family and friends.

That’s what one could expect from the inaugural Tour de Rocklin to be held Saturday at Whitney Ranch Park.But behind the serenity is creativity, competition and hard work being initiated by some very engaged Rocklin students promoting the ride.

“It does so many positive things,” said Cobblestone Elementary principal Kathy Goddard. “It promotes fitness in our students, raises money for our (educational) foundation and it really builds a sense of community. That's what Rocklin is all about.”

The Tour de Rocklin set up a five, 10, 20- and 40- mile bike ride courses for the public to participate at any skill level. Goddard is taking her nephew and niece on the five-mile family ride through the Whitney Ranch communities but she’s also trying to keep up with her sixth-graders who have shown some leadership and made the Tour de Rocklin and event at her school.

“We wanted to encourage kids to ride bicycles,” said Cobbelstone sixth- grader Shiv Chitre. “It is fun and healthy for you and the environment.”

Chitre is a part of a group of students using the ride for their service learning studies, basically a curriculum that links academic content with community problem solving.

“Were learning how to help people in our community,” said fellow sixth-grader Mackenzie Stark. “Little people can make a big difference in the world.”

The group approached the principal about a school assembly where students and teachers were encouraged to decorate their bike helmets as an effort to promote cycling and signing up for the tour.

“We thought it would be more fun and get kids attention,” said sixth- grader Hanna Dugué.

Goddard was inspired by their initiative so she put a challenge to her teachers to make and wear their own decorated bike helmets.

“If they wear their helmets publicly, they are going to get a free coupon for the principal to do their yard duty,” Goddard said.

She designed her patriotic themed helmet complete with towering faux fireworks.

“I have a dolphin on my helmet with a sign in the back that says, ‘be green,” Dugué said. “My family is going to sign up tonight.”

Sixth-grader Erica McNeill opted for a unique twist on the Davey Crockett look for her bike helmet design.

“My helmet is a big hairy skunk,” McNeill said.

Rocklin schools have been mobilizing to get more teams to participate, as 75 percent of the proceeds will be divided up between the 15 elementary, middle and high schools in Rocklin to use for technology, according to organizers.

High school students were asked to help design the promotional materials.

This fall the official Tour de Rocklin logo was designed by Rocklin High School senior Clarissa Prewitt who melded an abstract version of a bicycle and the year 2009 for the design.

It's really exciting to be chosen,” Prewitt said. “I really wanted something artistic with the form of the bicycle. I wanted something colorful.”

Rocklin High School 2009 graduate Alexis Melnikov designed the race posters, brochures and race application form.

Their instructor Amy Tackett helped 15 other students create entries who competed against Whitney High School students for the honor.

Tackett said participation in the creative endeavor may influence her students’ career choice and at the least will keep the ire of competition between Rocklin’s premier high schools.

“(Prewitt winning the design competition) was like taking home the gold from the Olympics,” Tackett said.

This week the Cobblestone sixth-graders will continue their work by taking their voices to the school wide public address system to encourage their students to ask their parents to sign up for the ride. They are also doing a little voice over work for Goddard on the tella-parent system that calls the school’s parents with an automated message to get their families involved.

The group even has plans for the money the school will be awarded from the ride.

“We have been talking about it,” Cobblestone sixth- grader Xan Mabry said. “We'd like the money to be used for bike parts.”

Chitre said it would assist them with their next community problem-solving project.

“We'd like to donate bikes to people who don't have bikes,” Chitre said.

Their proud principal expects great things from them in the future.

“People look at student achievement in test scores but really it is a well rounded student we're after,” Goddard said. “We want them to be academically successful but also care about their community and feel like they can make a difference.”

The public can sign-up the day of the ride or ahead of time by visiting the Tour de Rocklin Web site at www.tourderocklin.org.