Mar 27, 2015 | Traffic Safety
The AAA School Safety Patrol is 95 years old this year, and AAA South Jersey will salute one special local student by naming him or her as the “Safety Patroller of the Year” for the area.
With the help of school faculty advisors, AAA South Jersey is sponsoring its annual Safety Patroller of the Year contest. Faculty advisors can nominate up to two students from their school for the award, which will be determined by leadership, dependability, academic strength, promptness and industriousness.
The contest runs through April 30. Entry forms were sent to all participating schools in Camden, Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland counties, and are also available by AAA South Jersey offices.
AAA School Safety Patrols play an extraordinarily important role in ensuring the safety of thousands of school children daily throughout the AAA South Jersey region. Patrollers being honored have taken enormous responsibility and have risen to the top by demonstrating excellence and leadership. Historically, the AAA School Safety Patrol is one of AAA's oldest programs, with more than 600,000 children throughout the country participating in the program.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three entrants. The winning boy or girl will receive a plaque, passes to Morey’s Pier in Wildwood, tickets to Great Adventure, Sahara Sam’s and Diggerland. In addition, AAA South Jersey will provide pizza and soft drinks for the winner’s class to commemorate the occasion. The school will receive free Safety Patrol equipment (up to 25 sets of belts and badges), plus a plaque designating the school as the home of the 2014-15 Safety Patroller of the Year. Additionally, the school faculty advisor will receive a $25 gift card. Second- and third-place finishers will receive a commemorative plaque as well as tickets to Great Adventure, Sahara Sam’s and also to Diggerland. The school faculty advisor will receive get a $25 gift card.
This year marks the 95th anniversary of the AAA School Safety Patrol program. It was founded in Chicago in 1920 by Charles M. Hayes, president of the Chicago Motor Club, after several children at a school crossing were killed by a speeding car. Horrified by the incident, Hayes pledged to help prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The first patrol was established with two dozen boys trained to assist students cross the road safely.
Since 1920, the AAA School Safety Patrol, which annually safeguards the lives of millions of young boys and girls, has become almost as recognizable to motorists as the stop sign. The presence of a AAA School Safety Patrol member wearing the familiar Sam Browne belt, which circles the waist and crosses over the shoulder, is a nationally accepted traffic indicator alerting motorists to drive carefully, for school children are in the area.
Many famous Americans have held the position of AAA School Safety Patrol, including former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, five current and former Supreme Court Justices, five Olympic Gold Medalists and 21 astronauts.