Neela Arseneau, clad in her orange safety vest and with a stop-sign in hand, strides out into the intersection at Windsor and Junot.
The cars giving yield as Arseneau waves amiably to the vehicles, thanking them for stopping as a group of young students safely cross the road on their way home from school.
As the children pass Arseneau, who they more affectionately know as Nicki, she greets them cheerfully and asks how the latest track and field meet went.
“I didn’t win anything,” one student responds, “but it was fun.”
The yellow and green huts that perch on the intersection corners of neighbourhoods across Thunder Bay are the posts of 64 different crossing guards who are employed by the city.
The crossing guard program has been in place since 1947, and employees provide safe crossing in school zones throughout the school year for students before and after school, and for the lunch break.
Arseneau has been a crossing guard for eight years and says she was inspired to take up the job by a kind crossing guard who worked along the route Arseneau used to walk her son, now a student at Lakehead University.
For several years Arseneau worked a full-time job at Shoppers Drug Mart in addition to her crossing guard duties. Now she works exclusively as a crossing guard part time, which has her out every school day no matter what the weather or season.
“I think it’s fun to help,” she says of her role. “It’s also important to teach the younger kids road safety and to follow instructions.”
She cites one particular instance where, as she entered into the intersection to direct traffic, a vehicle sped through the crossing with no regard for her or the children waiting on the curb.
“I told the kids ‘that’s why you wait until I wave you across’ and then took a minute to catch my breath from the close call,” said Arseneau, who says those encounters are far and few between. Most passing vehicles get a friendly wave.
Waving isn’t in the job description, but next to ensuring a safe crossing for students, it may just be the second most important part of the job.
“I wave to almost everyone; the kids of course, but also the school buses, city buses, kids leaving school in cars, the police, the EMS guys and gals,” Arseneau says with a grin. “You get to know a lot of the community when everyone sees you here everyday, I really enjoy that.”
Speaking to Nicki Arseneau on the 10th Annual Crossing Guard Appreciation Day came in good time, as she approaches the end of her career; planning to retire from her crossing guard duties come the end of the school year.
“It’ll be sad to stop, I’ve been helping these kids cross here all through elementary and into high school … the community has really grown up.”
Toward the end of her lunchtime shift, Arseneau lightheartedly asks a student if they knew it was Crossing Guard Appreciation Day.
“Every day is crossing guard appreciation day for me,” the student responds.
