Lloydminster students are back to patrolling crosswalks, making sure their fellow classmates are safe. AMA’s School Safety Patrollers program is giving kids the chance to develop leadership skills all while keeping kids safe on there way to and from school.
Barr Colony and Jack Kemp Community School are among 7 schools in the Border City that take part in the AMA program. The program’s coordinator Maureen O’Brien says although the program is about safety, it can positively impact the patrollers in the long run.
“Patrolling is a responsibility. Students need to take it seriously and often they carry that experience into their adult lives. We have a number of former patrollers who have gone into law enforcement.”
O’Brien says the students use a “point, pause, proceed” procedure to cross the pedestrians over. This involves holding out their stop sign, being aware of vehicles and then allowing people to cross.
“It starts at the crosswalk, it moves into the community and they become leaders in their school. They volunteer their time to be out in all kinds of weather throughout the school year.”
The program asks the children at the beginning of each year to make a promise to show qualities such as trust, respect and leadership. Crosswalks and the times they’re patrolled depend on each school.