School patrols honoured for making streets safer

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This article was published 19/06/2018 (2882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CAA Manitoba and the Brandon Police Service honoured three school safety patrols on Monday for helping to make the city’s streets a little safer this past school year.

Meadows, Linden Lanes and Waverly Park schools were recognized as part of the Brandon School Patrol Awards, which are given annually to teams that demonstrate the best communication, hand signals and professionalism while on duty.

Meadows School came in first place, while Linden Lanes and Waverly Park came in second and third.

“It’s always been a really fun, really special day for us, because the kids have worked so hard to get to this point,” said Chris Heide, Brandon store manager for CAA Manitoba.

Heide presented the awards to each school, starting at Waverly Park before heading to Meadows and ending at Linden Lanes.

Grade 5 students Aubrey Gosseye and Noah Baraniuk accepted the award on behalf of the patrol team at Linden Lanes, a school that has secured a top-three finish in the annual patrol awards for the past five years, according to CAA Manitoba.

“It was good being a patrol, to keep kids safe and not just running out and getting hurt,” Aubrey said. “And it was really hot, it was cold, it was raining, snowing, but it was still fun.”

Noah said even though it was cold in the winter, and cars sometimes slid on the ice, it was worth it since they got to help other kids cross the street safely.

“I kind of feel awesome that we get to have this,” he said. “And … when all of the other people who go out on patrols and (say), ‘Oh, I wonder who won that?’ they’ll just look up to us.”

“They deserve all of the accolades that they’re given,” Heide said. “You see the looks on their faces, knowing that they’re being rewarded for their hard work, and how much it means to them means a lot to us.”

The School Safety Patrol program was started in Manitoba after Louise Staples, a teacher at Greenway School in Winnipeg, organized the first team in 1936, with more patrols added throughout the city in the following months.

The program marked its 80th anniversary in 2016 with a time capsule and tree-planting ceremony at Greenway School.

“The patrols, day in and day out, have a positive attitude at their post and remind the community of proper road safety practices,” BPS Chief Wayne Balcaen said in a statement.

“Brandon is a close-knit city where everyone looks out for each other and these patrol teams are a true example of our community values.”

Riverheights School won first place last year, while Linden Lanes came in second and Green Acres came in third.

Manitoba Public Insurance, which has sponsored the school patrol program for nearly three decades, will present the third-annual best captain award to Kurvie Campos, patrol captain at St. Augustine School, on Thursday.

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