Bouquet...
For what Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling called an “astounding community engagement feat,” three bouquets to the students of the city’s three Grade 12 high school classes, who emerged as among the top four in Canada in a recent blood-donor challenge.
An astounding feat indeed. The challenge saw 167 high schools across Canada competing. Red Deer’s young citizens rolled up their sleeves with determination and compassion to give the gift of life, finishing first, third and fourth.
Flewwelling pointed out “the Canadian Blood Service is keen to get young people donating early in hopes they will continue the practice throughout their lives.”
The Red Deer students didn’t let the blood services organization down. They recognized that their donations assist in sustaining life — be it assisting our injured troops in Afghanistan; accident victims closer to home; or relatives, friends and strangers with various medical conditions and complications.
Firstly, congratulations to the Grade 12 students from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School who placed first in the challenge by giving 768 blood donations.
That achievement was followed up by students from Hunting Hills High School, placing third with 512 donations. Notre Dame students placed fourth with 463 donations.
Bill Stuebing, chairman of the Red Deer public School District, poured praise on the students of all three schools for their tremendous, caring effort.
Red Deer should be as proud as Flewwelling and Stuebing of its young citizens in this blood-donor challenge. They are a responsible, inspiring group that deserves applause.
Bouquet...
And speaking of school students taking on a task for the safety of others, a bouquet to the 500 members of the Alberta Motor Association’s School Safety Patrol program in Central Alberta.
The “stars of the crosswalks” were saluted on Thursday by the AMA with a barbecue at the Kinsmen Community Arenas in Red Deer.
“Patrollers worked hard this year to maintain the program’s excellent 72-year safety record of no fatalities or serious injuries in a crosswalk monitored by the AMA School Safety Patrol,” said Josy Wicentowich, who is provincial co-ordinator for the safety patrol.
Looking back to the years of the 1960s, school students who grew up in Central Alberta can surely remember the “bossy student cops” at the crosswalks who took no guff. (As can the motorists back then.)
These youthful cops were highly disciplined, respected their duties for the sake of their classmates’ safety, and kept in mind they were also responsible to the parents of those children. Nobody dared cross the line when that hand-held stop sign was up.
Nobody dared crossing the street until the patrollers gave the nod. And no motorist was about to put his or her reputation on the line by disobeying the STOP order.
The same standards in training under the AMA program exist today for the young patrollers.
It can be a mad rush when school is let out. But these safety commanders stand firm with the students bunched-up behind them — no crossing until it’s safe.
“The students who take part in this program truly are the stars of their school’s crosswalk,” said Darcy Baron, AMA school safety patrol regional co-ordinator.
“They volunteer their time to ensure their fellow students are able to cross the street to and from school safely.”
Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.