Keeping guard
Crossing guards at Arlington Elementary are contending not only with the usual inattentive drivers and antsy kids this year but also the additional distraction of construction on Crestline.
At 3 p.m. on a recent afternoon, the orange traffic cones, flashing yellow lights, guards in fluorescent vests and the 20 mph “When Children Present” sign weren’t having much effect on the bustling traffic.
“They don’t go 20 here,” said crossing guard supervisor Laura Hegel. Unlike other schools in quieter neighborhoods, Arlington only uses adult guards, and even the adults sometimes find it challenging to monitor both large groups of chattering children and long lines of speeding traffic.
“Sometimes drivers yell, “Get out of the road!” Hegel said. “That’ll put a damper on your day.”
Hegel recalled a time when a car driven by an elderly gentleman approached the crossing at Francis and Cook. The lights flashed, traffic cones were in place and Hegel and another guard stood in the middle of the crosswalk. The gentleman paused, then drove right through. As the car passed, Hegel saw the man’s wife hit him over the head with her purse. Hegel didn’t need to yell at him. “His wife took care of it,” she said.
Crossing guard Debbie Wilson said she wishes drivers would understand that keeping kids safe is her first priority.
“The best drivers,” she said, “are the kind ones who see you in the crossing and stop – even before you hit the lights.”
Fellow guard Monica Livengood added, “Drivers need to be aware; kids are so unpredictable.”
Across town, on the shady corner of 36th and Grand, school crossing guard Kandy Conrad also stood sentry between a chattering group of Jefferson Elementary students and a busy street. Conrad’s been a crossing guard for nine years. “All of my kids attended Jefferson,” Conrad said, “I just stayed.”
She was already working at the school and knew there was a need for another adult guard. Recruitment can be difficult because several short shifts are spread out during the day. “It’s one of those jobs no one else wants to do,” she said.
Conrad, though, loves being outside and working with kids. This job gave her the best of both worlds. “It’s always entertaining. You never know what to expect.”
Currently, Jefferson has three adult crossing guards. Conrad trains sixth-grade students to help patrol as well. The kids say they can tell when she’s going to turn on the flashing yellow lights because she shuffles her feet while scanning the traffic. They call it the crossing guard dance.
When she sees a break she yells, “On!” The patrol then enters the crosswalk with flags extended to usher the waiting students across.
Zina Zimmerman, 11, is enjoying her stint as a crossing guard. “I think it’s fun!” she said. Fellow student, Spencer Nelson said, “Yesterday, one guy came right up to the cones and started yelling at us. I was kind of scared.” Conrad wasn’t. She yelled back. Several moms, who were waiting with their kids, added their own reproofs to the impatient driver.
Some drivers seem to think the sole duty of a crossing guard is to make them late for work, the guards said.
Ann Sprenger has worked at Jefferson for 15 years. “We’re just here to get the kids across safely,” she said. Her job would be much easier if drivers would pay attention. “Everyone’s on the phone, sipping a latte or eating a bagel.”