ASHLAND — At the end of the school day, Jenna Cartwright and Monroe Mager don neon vests and walk out the side door of Taft Intermediate School.
The fifth graders place orange cones in the middle of the street and hold stop signs, preparing themselves for a wave of students to run out the doors. It’s up to Mager and Cartwright to help them cross the road between Taft and the Dollar Tree.
The duo takes their job seriously. They venture out as long as the temperature is above -20 degrees, according to Taft assistant principal Tim Keller.
“If you’re crossing the street, come on,” Cartwright yells.
Students carry their backpacks and dash across the street. After the last ones have finished crossing, Mager and Cartwright pack up the orange cones and put away their vests.
The pair make up one of the teams on Taft Intermediate School’s safety patrol.
What is safety patrol?
Keller, the assistant principal at Taft, and Sue Bohland, a small group instructor, lead the safety patrol. It’s a group of fifth grade students tasked with helping their peers safely cross the roads around Taft Intermediate School in the mornings and afternoons.
Keller said the patrol was something Taft used to do when it was K-6. It then disappeared for a few years when the school was K-3, but came back around seven years ago, according to Keller.
That’s when Ashland City Schools reconfigured its buildings to put all the fourth and fifth graders in the district in one school.
The school selects students to serve on the safety patrol at the end of their fourth grade year. Only fifth graders serve on safety patrol. Selections are based on interest and teacher recommendations, Keller said.
When they return at the beginning of the year, safety patrol members go through a half hour of training. Former safety patrol members, who are entering sixth grade, return and model how to cross students safely.
They emphasize the importance of making sure cars see you and come to a stop before you cross the road.
Keller and Bohland supervise each day. Mostly though, the responsibility of following a schedule, crossing the roads and helping their peers lies with students.
“It offers students a chance to develop responsibility,” Keller said.
He added the approach is meant to teach them how to be good leaders as they enter middle school.
Student takeaways
Ella Perry serves as a morning safety patrol member. The fifth grader said it’s usually cold outside in the mornings.
But, she said the job is still a fun one. She likes spending time with her friends and feeling like a leader.
Cartwright added that being on safety patrol makes her feel important, and like her teachers can have more trust in her.
For Mager, it’ll help with her ability to lead in the future.
“It gives you responsibility for the future if you are a leader,” she said. “I’ll already know some and won’t be super new. I’ll know what to do.”
All three girls also said after dealing with cars that won’t slow down, they’ll be sticklers for the speed limit once they can finally drive.
