With the new school year now underway, the Lakewood community is seeking crossing guards to help ensure student safety. They are looking for responsible, careful individuals who will prioritize the safety of our students. As Lakewood is a walking community, it is essential to take the safety of students who walk to and from school each morning and afternoon seriously, so they arrive safely.

This seasonal position is vital to the safety of students and helps maintain Lakewood as a walkable community. Because crossing guards are often alert and assertive, they can prevent accidents and protect pedestrians—especially children.

Having familiar, friendly crossing guards at every street corner instills confidence and enhances overall safety. The location is the most essential part of hiring crossing guards, it’s important to identify which schools or streets need the most crossing guards.

Director of Community and District Activities Mark Walter said, “I work with the city and schools to help identify needs and locations.” Walter emphasized the necessity of crossing guards in Lakewood since it is a walking community with dangerous intersections. Crossing guards’ assignments focus on busy streets near school buildings.

Deborah Hayes, a Lakewood High School security guard, has been helping with the traffic and crosswalk management in front of the school. Hayes emphasized the attention to detail for crossing guards. To just know the place you are directing traffic at. Knowing your surroundings while directing traffic will keep the community, and you, safe.

Lakewood High School’s Associate Principal Bridgette Firstenberger has been helping to direct the crosswalk in front of the civic center for 11 years. “In Lakewood, we have done it every year since I’ve been here, in both the morning and the afternoon,” said Firstenberger. With the support of principals and other authorities, this effort has helped protect the Lakewood community’s children.

Walter clarified that other city workers, such as police officers and parking meter attendants, serve as crossing guards on an as-needed basis. This has maintained safety in the Lakewood community, but the best-case scenario is if more people were crossing guards.

There are numerous qualifications and responsibilities that come along with becoming a crossing guard. A few of the requirements can include being at least 18 years old, having a high school diploma or GED, and having a valid driver’s license. A few more requirements that crossing guards must possess are knowledge of traffic laws and hand signals, being alert and physically capable of standing for shifts, and quick decision-making under pressure while working outdoors in all types of weather.

Crossing guards are responsible for overseeing all pedestrians and primarily students at the crossing. Ensuring that they have a clear way to and from school. According to Walter, the crossing guards “generally [have]  to like kids, because that’s their main customer.”

If you enjoy helping people and taking care of the community, then this could be the perfect job for you. Helping children and safety make the community a better place. The times the crossing guards must be available are during school hours. “They work in the mornings, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., then they’re back at 2:30 p.m., until 3:30 p.m., maybe four o’clock, depending on their location” said Walter. Devoting a minimum of one hour of their day as a crossing guard to work for the City of Lakewood can change the community and help make it a safer city.

Crossing guards are a normal part of daily life in this walking community of Lakewood. They provide safety, dependability, and a friendly face for children and families who are walking to school. The city is looking for trustworthy, caring people who want to make a difference and help keep our neighborhoods safe.

It’s a small commitment with a big payoff—one crossing guard at a time. Stay safe at the crosswalk, Rangers.