Brothers Justin and Jonathan Zhou have decidedly different interests. Grade five student Jonathan plays basketball, swims and takes drum lessons. Grade seven student Justin is on the Tech Team, in the Chess Club and plays piano. Yet these two brothers share one amazing accomplishment: they both excelled as CAA School Safety Patrollers at Ecole Arbour Vista Public School in Guelph, winning them the 2019 CAA School Safety Patroller of the Year Award.
The CAA School Safety Patrol® program was created back in 1929 as a way to make school zones safer. This initiative is a joint effort between CAA, police, school boards, busing consortia, teachers, parents and volunteer student safety Patrollers. Over the past year, the Zhou brothers took their responsibilities as CAA School Safety Patrollers seriously, acting as role models for their fellow students.
It was in February that Jon and Justin had a chance to demonstrate just how good they were. The two brothers had finished Patrolling and had exited their bus, when they noticed a very young student standing alone. She was let off the bus in error and the bus had already left. Immediately recognizing that this was an unsafe situation, the brothers attempted to talk to the young child, who obviously upset, didn’t respond. The brothers then decided that Jon would run home and get their Mom, while Justin stayed with the child. It was then that Justin noticed contact information on the student’s backpack. When Jon returned with his Mom and her cell phone, Justin called the contact number and reached the student’s parents. Thanks to quick thinking, the child was reunited with her family in short order.
Not only were their actions during this situation impressive, but the brothers’ demeanour afterwards was equally so. In fact, both brothers were so humble that it actually took the school several days to determine what had actually happened. Little wonder that the school nominated the brothers and that they were selected as the 2019 CAA School Safety Patrollers of the Year.
Could your community benefit from safer school buses and school zones? Find out more about how 20,000 student volunteers, teachers and parents at 800 schools across Ontario are making a difference in their communities through the CAA School Safety Patrol program.