Throughout the village of Shorewood, kids of all ages are constantly flitting about as they make their way to one of the four schools. In the early morning and mid-afternoon of every weekday, students walk to and from school. Unfortunately, this causes some issues with traffic in the area. While older students are easily visible when crossing the street, the younger children have a hard time getting drivers to notice them and let them pass by. Luckily, there are the crossing guards there to help.

An important part of Shorewood crossing guards is their kindness and commitment to the job. Making connections with students and parents is a highlight of some peoples’ walk to school.

“They make me feel safe,” said freshman Sara Tipnis. “They saved me from getting hit by a car, and they’re very kind to me.” 

Andrea Vlass works on the intersection of Oakland and Lake Bluff. Despite being retired, she still spends time helping out as a crossing guard. Working to help out students gives her a positive way to spend time. The benefits of forming connections goes both ways, as the guards get to spend time with local community members and have conversations with people passing by.

“The kids are the easy part [of the job],” Vlass said.
“These are very well behaved kids.” 

For Vlass, the students she helps cross are usually elementary age. Despite their energetic youth, they’re not what makes things challenging for Vlass. People driving through the intersection frequently go through red lights, and drivers speeding through poses a serious threat to the safety of pedestrians. Younger kids who aren’t as adapted to walking through busy streets are the most in danger, and when problems arise, crossing guards step in.

“I am always cautious because some people just turn really close into here when I’m walking kids,” Class said. “I just have to sit there, and I’m not really supposed to give hand signals, so I just push out my stop sign…but I’ve really never had to, like, blow my whistle or do anything like that. ”

The crossing guards in Shorewood are important not only because they help students get across the street, but because they help to build community. Many students appreciate their kindness, and the positivity impacts both the kids and the crossing guards. 

“A lot of crossing guards have actually talked with me and just been really nice, along with being really helpful,” said Lincoln Norris, a freshman at Shorewood.

Work starts at about 7:45 in the morning and 3:25 in the afternoon, while on Wednesdays the afternoon job starts closer to 2:25 due to early release at the elementary schools and middle school. The job requires rigorous dedication, as some crossing guards live outside of the district. However, many enjoy their jobs and do it because of kindness towards the kids. Whether they’re starting out students’ days with a smile or giving them an uplifting comment after a draining day of school, the crossing guards’ demeanor creates a warm environment for students like Tipnis.

“I like them because they’re very respectful and they always compliment… they are very kind and energetic and happy, most of them,” Tipnis said.

Due to the construction happening in Oakland, more drivers are going through red lights and putting the children’s safety at further risk. With various entrances and exits to the street as well as an entire lane blocked off, it creates a difficult situation for drivers, in turn causing problems for crossing guards and pedestrians. 

“There’s a lot of people that go through the red light here… more than I even ever thought. 
I think a lot of times, you’re not paying attention, so you have to be really alert when you step on the street… I have to push people back in the morning,” Vlass said.

It is more important than ever to have crossing guards. Luckily, many people like Andrea Vlass lend compassion and care to get kids to school. One of the most important parts of the job is to be aware at all times. With cars constantly passing back and forth, and new kids walking or biking along all the time, they are constantly involved. So although Shorewood is a fairly safe village without many majorly busy streets, the community still is in need of crossing guards to help protect younger people.

julia – nice job! I restructured it a bit – you don’t need to keep each person’s quotes together, just put the most important stuff first. just some grammar and also some style stuff like justifying, .25 indentation, and only saying said after a quote.