One block away from Greene Middle School stands Cynthia Maina, wearing her bright yellow vest, holding up a bright red octagon, and stopping incoming traffic while waving along children on their bicycles.
“Don’t forget to do your homework!” Maina said cheerfully to a group of middle schoolers passing by on their way home from school.
Maina is one of 32 crossing guards stationed each morning and afternoon at busy intersections near schools across Palo Alto to protect students from traffic. In a city where 60% of the middle and high school students walk or bike to school, according to local grassroots organization Walk Bike Palo Alto, Palo Alto also employs an unusually high amount of crossing guards, whose incredibly friendly attitudes brighten students’ days.
Although all the city’s crossing guards are hired through an outside company, they are managed as part of the Palo Alto Police Department. According to Palo Alto Police Lieutenant Ben Becchetti, the program costs roughly $500,000 per year, which is included in the police budget, and employs more guards than programs in similar cities.
“A lot of cities of equal size have less [crossing guards],” Becchetti said. “So we’re very fortunate in Palo Alto that the community and the city council has placed an importance on them, which is awesome.”
We’re very fortunate in Palo Alto that the community and the city council has placed an importance on them, which is awesome.”
— Ben Becchetti, Palo Alto Police Lieutenant
According to Sylvia Star-Lack, a transportation planning manager with the City of Palo Alto, the city has one of the highest rates of walking and biking to school in the country, which is aided by crossing guards.
“It is rare for a city our size to have 900 to 1,000 students bike to each of the high schools … and part of that is because of these crossing guards that allow this kind of independent movement of students through town,” Star-Lack said.
Maina, who is posted at the intersection of Louis Road and North California, works a 45-minute shift at the beginning and end of every school day. She said she feels a strong connection to the Palo Alto community, having grown up in the area with her siblings having gone to Paly.
“I could have left but I haven’t because I just enjoy it,” she said.
Beyond keeping students safe, Maina loves the familiarity she has gained with students while working as a crossing guard near Greene Middle School for the past four years.
“I would pretty much say we know each other, we wave, we say ‘hello,’” Maina said. “It’s, like I said again, familiar. It’s not awkward. It’s all about the safety of the community.”
Robert McDonnell, who is stationed as a crossing guard in front of Duveneck Elementary School, echoed a similar sentiment about his job.
“They [the students] mean a lot to me because I love kids,” McDonnell said. “And every time I’m not here yet: ‘Where’s Robert?’”
On the weekends, McDonnell can be found mountain biking in Half Moon Bay. Maina said she enjoys shopping for clothes and watching movies with her cats to unwind.
“I love scary movies,” Maina said. “I love comedies … because it is hectic out there. I like being by myself and spending time with my cat.”
When they are on duty, crossing guards like McDonnell bring positive energy to their jobs, which has a huge impact on the students, according to Duveneck parent Jessica Galbraith.
“Looking forward to seeing Robert every day, you don’t realize the impact that he has … it’s like having a little puppy who’s excited to see you in the morning,” Galbraith said. “It brings so much joy and happiness.”
When you have somebody fabulous like Robert who says hi to you in the morning, maybe gives you a high five and you’re 8 years old, it makes your commute.”
— Sylvia Star-Lack, Palo Alto Transportation Planning Manager
“There’s a certain mood lift that you get when you exercise or walk or bike and it just feels better,” Star-Lack said. “When you have somebody fabulous like Robert who says hi to you in the morning, maybe gives you a high five and you’re 8 years old, it makes your commute.”
While students might only be around crossing guards for a few minutes each day, crossing guards can be valuable role models for young kids in a town that emphasizes alternative methods of transportation, inspiring the younger generation and encouraging them to make more conscious choices about their methods of transportation, according to Star-Lack.
“It’s not just the fact that they actually put their bodies on the line for our students, but they’re also often really a friendly face,” Star-Lack said. “Having adults in town that are friendly and responsible that kids can see is a really important kind of community builder.”