KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) – The faces of several students were filled with joy and excitement from getting a bicycle Wednesday.

“It makes me feel good.”

“Excited.”

“It feels fun to go outside and ride your bike to get fresh air,” students shared.

Students from 9 elementary schools throughout Lenoir County were assessed for their growth and achievements in math since the beginning of this year.

“I love number blocks and number blocks go in,” Easton Warren, a Southwood Elementary School student said.

From kindergarten to 4th grade, a boy and a girl were selected for the most improvement and for 5th grade, a student with the highest achievement was chosen.

When asked about the key to her success, Megan Hines, the Northeast Elementary Student said, “When I move onto the next grade it’s going to get harder so I need to study.”

“You do good on your homework,” Warren added.

According to Donyell Bryant, he and his two friends who grew up in Lenoir County wanted to reward elementary school students who have a successful academic journey at a young age, especially in a challenging subject.

“You can find people who volunteer more in English and reading, than people doing math. Math is universal so it’s something that if the kid gets the math, they can always do well,” Bryant

Chuck Jones, who also organized the bike giveaway with Bryant, says growth shows perseverance, especially after the pandemic.

“We wanted to give them incentive to catch up and you know, be the best you can be,” Jones shared.

Money to buy 27 bicycles was raised with help from the community and the sponsors including Capital Automotive Group and Massey Toyota.