More than a stop sign: Clark County crossing guard keeping students safe

WINCHESTER, Ky. (FOX 56) — Safely getting kids to and from school is a team effort. One part of that team is crossing guards.

The job of crossing guards is more than just ensuring the safety of kids. These men and women, including Mary Anne Smith, are among the first faces a student sees to start their day; they set the tone for the first part of the school day.

Whether they walk, get taken to school by their parents, or ride the bus, Clark County students are greeted by a friendly face.

At Clark County Preschool, that face is Smith.

“Safety is everything for me,” Smith explained. “I’ll do everything for the kid’s safety. When we first got to school, we didn’t have a sidewalk. I’ve been fighting for a sidewalk since day one. Now they have a sidewalk.”

Smith started with the district 14 years ago when her granddaughter was in kindergarten. Now she doesn’t see herself doing anything else.

“They live in the moment,” Smith said. “I take that from them and then I pass it around.”

Smith made it very clear to FOX 56 that this story isn’t about her, it’s about the kids. They make waking up every morning worth it, even years later.

“I had this little boy come up to me, oh, I don’t know, a few years ago, he said, ‘You know what, Miss Mary Anne? If it wasn’t for you teaching me how to read in that hallway, I would never be reading today,'” Smith described. “And sometimes you need a little bit of feedback, so, you know, just know you’re doing the right thing.”

Despite Smith’s love and passion for the students, before she started working for the school district, she said she would never work with kids.

She’ll admit, though, she was wrong in that belief, and it was the best decision she ever made.