SHAWNEE, Kan. — The school year has officially kicked off for schools across the Kansas City area, and one school is making your child’s safety a fun learning opportunity.
Rhein Benninghoven Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission School District uses its fifth and sixth grade students as a safety patrol for younger students. Parents or guardians dropping off or picking up their students will pull up to the curb and be greeted and assisted immediately by the safety patrollers who help streamline the process.
“Our goal with safety patrol is to allow students to have a leadership role in the school,” said P.E. teacher LeAnna Kemp, who oversees the safety patrol.
Not only is it fun, but it's efficient. Kemp said the safety patrol processes cuts down pick up and drop off time from as much as 30 minutes, down to around 17 minutes.
She said it’s an opportunity every fifth or sixth grader who’s interested gets but have to continue to earn.
“Everyone’s given the opportunity, and then through the year, you have to keep earning that with being responsible, being safe with how you’re doing out here and inside at school,” she said.
Fifth grader Brock Ireland said he knew why he wanted to step up.
“I decided to do it because all my friends were gonna do it, and it’s really fun to help people,” he said.
He said the way it works, is simple.
“You help open doors for people and make sure that they get out safely. If their backpacks get stuck you make sure you open the doors completely for them,” he said.
Sixth grader Harper Lussier said she’s learned from patrolling.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot of patience because sometimes kids take awhile to get out of the car,” she said.
She said getting to know the younger students brightens her school days, too.
“They all wave at me and say, ‘Hi Harper!’ It’s kind of sweet,” Lussier shared.
Both students said they just want to do what they can to make other students smile.
“You can be really nice to people when you’re doing safety,” Ireland said.
