Kids and parents can expect some new help when they cross the street on Gladstone Avenue South after school.
Yorkdale Central School has launched a safety patrol program, which started on Oct. 19 as part of Education Week. Grade six students are decked out with reflective vests and carry mini-stop signs.
“We have a very busy intersection across from our school,” said Renee Kindiak, a teacher at Yorkdale and organizer of the program. “We thought Grade six [was] the right age when they can take the responsibility to help kids cross safely.”
These crossing guards will be helping adults and students navigate the busy crosswalks near Yorkdale when school ends for the day. There will be teams positioned at the two crosswalks near Yorkdale.
The kids will be monitored by adults who will blow whistles to signal when pedestrians can cross the street. Kindiak hopes to eventually leave the whistle-blowing to the volunteer students and have the adults step back into a supervisorial role.
“We haven’t been practicing that yet,” she said. “We thought we’d build to [it].
“For now we’re committed to having an adult with each of the teams out there. We’ll see how they do.”
Kindiak practiced drills with the students on the lunchbreak before their first official shift. She encouraged them to keep their signs up and to watch out for passing cars.
“Hopefully, [the community] will be mindful of what we’re trying to do,” she said.
Kindiak started the safety patrol program to give Grade six students a leadership opportunity. Many Grade six students help supervise children in Grade four and below, so the patrol program is a natural next step.
“We were pleasantly surprised that kids want to do these kinds of things,” she said. “It’s something they could contribute to their community.”
If the safety patrol program needs more volunteers, Kindiak may open it up for Grade seven and eight students. But she wants to keep the program within Grade six if possible.
“It’s a stepping stone for them,” she said. “They’re responsible enough to do it.
“To me, it’s the right fit.”
