Every Safe Crossing Starts With Teamwork
You may have seen students standing out on the driveway, wearing bright coloured vests, both at morning drop off and afternoon pickup. These students are known as patrollers. They are assigned for one week, either morning or afternoon, to stand out on the driveway and ensure that children cross the crosswalk safely. These students are all volunteers from Grade 7 and 8, and choose to sacrifice their time to make sure your child(ren) can get to school safely. Patrollers work in every weather – rain, snow, sleet, and sunshine – and are trained twice a year by a police officer, who tells them how to deal with numerous situations, and how to keep everyone safe.
So, how do patrollers work when on duty?
Patrollers control the flow of pedestrians over the driveway. When a patroller has their arms outstretched from their sides, and are blocking the walkway, it means that people should not pass them, as there is a vehicle coming, and it is not safe to cross. This is known as the patroller “closing their gate”. When the patroller steps to the side, and beckons you through the cones, it means that it is safe to cross. This is known as the patroller “opening their gate”. There is also a patroller who stands right by the crosswalk in the view of oncoming traffic with a stop sign. Their job is to warn oncoming cars if there are people crossing, and warn the other patrollers if there is a car coming. The stop sign patroller only ever flips their sign from “slow” to “stop” when a group of pedestrians are crossing the crosswalk – usually when no cars are present. If there are people crossing, and cars are far away, the stop sign patroller keeps their sign on “slow”, so as not to cause a blockage of cars in the roadway. If you are planning on dropping your child off on the road, please stop your car before you reach the patrollers, and not right between them. Signal to them that you are not moving, and that they can allow pedestrians across the crosswalk. Also, please pay attention to the stop sign; these guidelines enable the patrollers to keep both pedestrians and themselves safe, and keep the flow of cars moving. Parents and other students must pay attention to patrollers on duty.
All parents must be aware of the following:
- Be careful when driving around the driveway, and drive at a slow enough pace to give the patroller a chance to close their gates.
- If you are planning on stopping, make eye contact with one of the patrollers on duty.
- When crossing the road with your child(ren), walk through the cones where the patrollers stand, instead of walking around them. This means that if there is a car coming, they can stop you before you cross. This also sets a good example for other students when crossing.
- Make sure that you listen to what the patroller is signalling for you to do – if they are blocking the crosswalk, do not cross!
- The yellow hashtag area (the no parking zone) is made for the patroller’s safety: it is not a parking spot. Please do not park there, because it is too close to the patrollers, and not only is it unsafe for them to be that close to a car, but also it means that they can not see if there are other cars coming.
- If you park in the hashtag area, it is likely that you have caught one of the cones that block that area. As Patrol Supervisor, Mrs. Bronsveld says, “This is not Mario Kart. Avoid the cones.”
Following these guidelines will help keep both students and patrollers safe. One last tip: when crossing the crosswalk, say thank you to the patrollers on duty, as it makes them feel appreciated. It can be hard work and a huge responsibility being a patroller, but all of these little things will help keep children safe. It is a rewarding job, being a patroller, as we gain skills in leadership and serving others for the benefit of our school community.
Blog post by Jessie, Grade 8
Patrollers:
GRADE 8 – Emily, Isabelle, Carina, Corinne, Heidi, Paige, Peyton, Jessie, Ayleen, Daria, Henry, Logan, Nolen, Kai, Zach, Noah, Kameron, Jackson, Ben.
GRADE 7 – Kiara, Esme, Mia, Esther, Mikayla, Lukas, Noah C., Kaecie, Matthew, Micah, Dean, Xavier, Hannah, Abigail, Layla
