I was in 6th Grade in the big brick Dexter school building when we were asked if we’d like to be on safety patrol duty. You bet I did!
The two-story brick schoolhouse anchored the north end of the small town of Dexter, Iowa, but a block south, kids had to cross a busy highway to get to the main part of town. The patrol kids left school a little early at lunch time and after school in order to hike down to the highway and be on duty there when the bell rang for the kids to leave.
White Pole Road, the busy main highway between Des Moines and Omaha.
Our duty included wearing white patrol belts and, if a car was coming, holding out our arms to keep back children waiting to cross.
If you ever served as safety patrol, then you well remember the patrol belt. Ours were off-white webbing. The belt section went around the waist, with a shoulder strap that went over the right shoulder. A silver Junior Safety Patrol badge was worn on the shoulder strap.
I remember one patrol kids’ meeting where the superintendent Mr. Wineinger gave instructions. And we were treated to ice cream sandwiches, which I’d never had before.
This is how school safety patrol kids began.
Good job, Joy. I tried to get on the safety patrol, because ours automatically went on the trip to Washington D.C. Because of that perk, too many kids volunteered. But, I lucked out – my parents took me to D.C. later in the year.
How old were you? We got free ice cream sandwiches!
The patrol was in Grammar school, only 6th-graders, so about 11 years old. My parents took me a few months later, Oct. if I remember correctly.
A terrific age to visit D.C. We always planned to take our son, but he talked us into Disneyworld that year and we never did get to D.C. with him.
My spouse, Kristine, likes to tell me how much she enjoyed being on the safety patrol.
Now days it’s done by grownups, at least in the suburbs. Thank you, Bob, for your note!
Thanks, Joy, for providing evidence that I was once really a kid! I remember that new inductees were given a white belt whereas boys who had been on the force for a while wore orange belts. If one did a good job, he graduated to the orange. Also, there were three levels of badges, one plain silver for the lowest rank, one silver with a red circle around the inner portion, and one silver with a blue circle for the highest rank.
That’s new information for me! Did you graduate to other ranks?
I was on the safety patrol in 5th grade. We didn’t get any perks, aside from wearing the white patrol belt! I love the stamp!
Thanks, Linda! I’ll admit is the only reason I remember the ice cream sandwiches is because one of the girls in my class ate the wrapper as well!
Can’t imagine kids being given such responsibility today. No wonder that today’s kids never grow up.
You could be right.
I was thinking the same thing about kids being in such a responsible position.
Liz, I recently read “Telling Sonny” and enjoyed it very much. Left a review on Kindle.
Bless you, Bob.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Telling Sonny! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review.
Such fun! I’d forgotten all about the fun of being part of ‘safety patrol’ when I was in fifth grade. Our little belts were construction cone orange…same as our flags and we thought we were really something, helping the “littles”. Thanks so much for the fun memory lane moment, Jane! 🥰
Construction cone orange, wow!
😎🥰😎
Our school didn’t need a safety patrol (we weren’t near any major streets) but we got to do “cafeteria duty” — basically spraying off the lunch trays and putting them through the dishwasher. In return we got out of class 30 minutes before lunch and got free lunch (and often second heaping of desert) for our efforts. Some many kids wanted to do it that you’d get assigned for only three weeks at a time.
I bet you hoped for the extra dessert!
Great job, Joy. I remember being in the safety patrol in the sixth grade too. The crossing wasn’t a highway, but it was a busy main road and the drivers would be really scooting sometimes.
Thanks for your comment, Tim. I guess kids don’t do this anymore, just grownups.
Yes, when I see them, they look like they might be retirees.
Being involved with the safety patrol taught responsibility and pumped up self esteem. Children were instructed to obey them. If they didn’t, they’d be reported and get paddled. Very few disobeyed! 🙂
In don’t remember any paddling. Thank you, Nancy!
Our school was literally overflowing with kids. There was even a classroom on the stage. So, the principal was no nonsense.
Aha! I was born during WWII. Only 13 kids in my class in those days. No wonder the reorganized the schools. I ended up with a graduating class of 33 kids in 1962.
Wow! Our baby boomer class was just under 600 and that was after they built a new high school to handle the overflow.
Wow!
What a fun memory, Joy, and I’m sure those ice cream sandwiches were good! I also had the same thought of putting children in positions of responsibility like that. But I read on the link that you shared that safety patrols began in 1920 when few cars were on the road. That makes more sense, but I can’t imagine it nowadays, especially with distractions like cell phones and texting. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Lauren. I was surprised how many responses there have been by readers who were also patrol kids.
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The safety patrol at our school also wore red jackets. One boy in my class was on the patrol and had to testify in court because a car either hit a child or nearly did so. I tried to sign up in 6th grade but wasn’t picked, probably because I was so short.
What an experience for a child to have to go to court! I didn’t think about the sizes of kids, but I guess smaller ones would see taller ones as having more authority. Thank you for your comment, Lisa. Red jackets!