I work with this great group of kids at Prescott Elementary rightly named the Peace Action Team. They are designated school role models and problem solvers. A few of them signed up to help me distribute Safer Routes yard signs to neighbors and community members.
For one day a month, these kids write, “Please at a minimum display this sign in your yard or front window on Wednesdays from 7am-3pm during the school year. Feel free to display it at all times! If you ever decide that you would not like to display this sign any more, please return to Prescott Elementary. Thanks.” on the back of yard signs, then deliver them to homes and businesses located on the safer streets surrounding the school.
Our biggest dilemma was deciding if we should only put the signs on the “safe” streets or put them on the streets that students use to walk to school. We decided to focus our attention on the streets which students actually use to raise driver awareness in that area.
So, last week we walked down Prescott and straight into the Parkrose district office. One star student walked right up to the reception desk and convinced them to put a sign in their front yard. Keep an eye on these students and others like them across Portland. They are our next community leaders, city officials, teachers, and parents. The future is looking bright for Portland.
