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Jul 11, 2019

5 min. read

Supervising a program of any kind requires long hours and dedication. Add in a full workload teaching grade seven and with students and that task becomes even more demanding. Yet, Victoria Adderley of Holy Cross School in Brantford, has effortlessly managed a busy classroom while supervising the CAA School Safety Patrol ® program. Ms. Adderley’s efforts over this past year have earned her the coveted 2019 CAA School Safety Patrol Supervisor of the Year award.

Ms. Adderley’s tremendous commitment comes from her strong belief in the CAA School Safety Patrol program. While the aim of the program is for volunteer student Patrollers to help ensure student safety at road crossings and on school buses, Ms. Adderley says that the program accomplishes much more: she feels that safety Patrollers gain a stronger sense of purpose and more self-confidence from their involvement. That’s why she used this opportunity to educate her Patrol squad both on safety issues and how to be good role models within the community.

She has led by example by demonstrating leadership excellence. During meetings, she ensured all Patrollers felt included, supported and valued for their contributions. Ms. Adderley also took it upon herself to promote the safety program throughout the school, establishing herself as a mentor. Even the occasional speed bumps were handled with finesse. Scheduling shifts often meant playing referee between patrollers vying for the same shifts or coming up with solutions on the fly when Patrollers called in absent. Ms. Adderley’s tremendous listening skills and gentle manner enabled her to navigate these situations calmly and offer up solutions that everyone could agree to.

Principal John McDermid summarizes Ms. Adderley’s dedication as being exceptional and acknowledges that her hard work is the reason the school program runs so smoothly – a view that is also shared by the CAA School Safety Patrol program partners.

The CAA School Safety Patrol program works with the police, school boards, busing consortia, teachers and parents. First introduced in 1929, this program now has more than 20,000 student volunteers at approximately 800 schools across Ontario.

Learn More about the CAA School Safety Patrol program.

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