Highland Heights school lobbies for new crosswalk
Teachers turn situation into a learning experience for kids
Staff and students at a north-end public school are lobbying for a crosswalk or even traffic signals at a busy intersection in their neighbourhood to make it safer for students to access nearby Jackson Park as part of their studies.
The junction of Fairbairn Street and Highland Road had long been the subject of conversation when Highland Heights Public School principal Drew Beaton started at the kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school last September. After further discussion, he said, staff members decided to do something about it, while turning the effort into a teaching opportunity.
First, Karen Brown’s Grade 4 and 5 students collected traffic data from the intersection in groups over three cold, rainy days last fall.
During five 100-minute sessions over three days from Nov. 14 to 16, they observed 2,079 vehicles at the intersection – 9.24 cars per minute, or a car every 6.5 seconds. In that same time, 37
pedestrians crossed – or one every six minutes.
The students recorded how many vehicles went in each direction and exactly how many motorists turned onto Highland. The intersection is located about two blocks west of the school at Donegal Street.
It was a great instructional exercise, Brown said, pointing out how student had difficulty keeping up with the number of vehicles as they used tally marks. “They found it to be a frustrating exercise … they were starting to lose track.”
Students were also able to hypothesize that if the weather conditions were fairer, the figures – particularly foot traffic tallies – would have been much higher. “That was deeper-level thinking on their part as well.”
After collecting the information, students penned letters to the city outlining the safety issues associated with crossing Fairbairn and requesting a crosswalk or traffic lights.
A mobility specialist from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CBIB) also wrote about the challenges faced by the school’s vision-impaired students.
The school’s package of data and letters was received at City Hall by transportation services coordinator Peter Malin of the utility services department.
He told school representatives the intersection had already been flagged as in need of safety measures, said teacher Kathryn Wood, who helped co-ordinate efforts.
Staff are now putting together a proposal that will eventually go before city council – one that has now been bolstered by the school’s request, she said.
Staff seemed to agree with the conclusion reached by staff and students, Beaton said. “We are crossing our fingers and hoping our request gets supported.”
The effort, in which teacher candidate Carolyn Rumble was also key, has provided a valuable learning experience, he said.
“This unique real-life opportunity allowed the children to see how persuasive writing is a skill used into adulthood and into the real world. We look forward to seeing the effect our letters have on shaping our community,”