By Sarah Miller, Operations Manager, School Crossing Guard Division
School Crossing Guard Supervisor Mohammed Mounir
On September 27 School Crossing Guard Supervisor Mohammed Mounir (center) was presented with a Canadian Security Lifesavers Association Award for heroically saving a child from being run over by a bus during a crosswalk inspection. Seen here, Mohammed is accepting his award from Operations Manager Sarah Miller (far left), Service Delivery Manager Dave Harris (left of center), City of Toronto Project Manager Jasna Filipovic (right of center), and City of Toronto Assistant Project Manager Majid Khan (far right).
School Crossing Guard George Gymnopoulos
George was recognized in October by Service Delivery Coordinator Amy Strachan with Tim Horton’s gift card to thank him for a compliment that ASP received about him. A member of the public called in to share how much they admired his kindness, patience, and said that he is an asset to the Bayview community.
Great work, George!
ASIS International’s Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference was hosted this year from September 12 to 14 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This annual event gathers security, military, intelligence, and policing leaders from around the world to network and share best practices. School Crossing Guard Operations Manager Sarah Miller attended and represented ASP and brought back many lessons learned and applied that knowledge to improve the company.
School Crossing Guard John Triantafilopoulos
John was recognized by School Crossing Guard Supervisor George Calbery in October with Tim Horton’s gift card and a special thank you for helping a lost child at the Jane and Stong crosswalk. John quickly helped the little girl by keeping her safe, identifying her school, and coordinating her return to her teacher. Thank you for finding and helping the lost child, John!
The School Crossing Guard Division participated in the Toronto Police Service’s 14 Division open house on September 17, collaborating with the police and several other organizations to build relationships with the local community and improve community safety.
School Crossing Guard Supervisor Mohammed Mounir and Operations Manager Sarah Miller volunteered their time to host the pictured crosswalk safety booth and educate children about road safety. ASP also made a donation to the event, which provided free ice cream, popsicles, and drinks to all open house visitors.
On October 21 ASP received a compliment from a member of the public about School Crossing Guard Anastasia Maltezos that cited her positive attitude and eagerness to assist all pedestrians. Anastasia was presented with a Tim Horton’s gift card from Service Delivery Coordinator Amy Strachan to thank her for the great job she does. Keep up the fantastic work, Anastasia!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the first annual ASP School Crossing Guard Halloween Costume Contest in October. We received many fantastic submissions and loved reviewing all of the photos received (pictured here). Based on a vote among the North York office staff, the top three winners of the contest were:
#1. Anna Cappuccitti
Chicken Crossing The Road ($100.00 prize)
#2. Tammy Nugent
Riding A Dinosaur ($50.00 prize)
#3. Michelle Hagerman
Unicorn ($25.00 prize)
We would like to give a special thank you to Tammy for choosing to donate her winnings to the annual company holiday food drive. ASP further matched her donation by doubling the purchase on her behalf.
Congratulations to School Crossing Guard Operations Manager Sarah Miller for recently being added to the Humber College Police Foundations Program alumni recognition wall. Sarah graduated with honours from the program in 2016 and is both an alumni of distinction and past program ambassador.
The Globe & Mail released an article on September 05 titled ‘A New Cohort of Crossing Guards Welcomes Children Back to School’, featuring two ASP School Crossings Guards, Abby O’Dell and Demitrius Marshall. Congratulations for making the news, Abby and Demitrius!
On October 31, wearing his Halloween mask, School Crossing Guard Douglas Titer received a Tim Horton’s gift card from Service Delivery Coordinator Amy Strachan in response to a glowing compliment that ASP received about him from a member of the public. The person shared that they admired how professional, friendly, and safety-oriented Douglas is, and that he makes the local community proud. To quote the compliment, “Douglas is AMAZING!”.
School Crossing Guard Tristan Latocha was recognized by Service Delivery Coordinator Amy Strachan on November 02 with a Tim Horton’s gift card. ASP had received a call from a member of the public who shared how safe Tristan makes her feel when she is crossing the road and how seeing him smile every morning, even when it’s raining, makes her day. Thank you for being such a positive influence in the community, Tristan!
By Mohammed Mounir, School Crossing Guard Supervisor
School Crossing Guard Bibi Bacchus
I would like to recognize School Crossing Guard Bibi Bacchus for her incredible passion and keeping her community safe at her crosswalk. Working at the Jane and Wilson intersection is challenging because it is consistently busy with pedestrians and drivers passing through, although Bibi makes supporting this intersection look easy.
She is punctual and is always ready to adapt to the changing traffic. She crosses every person and is extra thoughtful with seniors. Bibi is always focused, driven to keep her crosswalk safe and the public thanks her for it every day. The School Crossing Guard division would like to extend that same gratitude and thank you for your hard work, Bibi.
Congratulations to Abdul Cholakkilakath (center) who won a 50 inch Amazon TV on June 28th through the School Crossing Guard Referral Raffle!
School Crossing Guard James Pegg
On June 27th, School Crossing Guard James Pegg (left) was recognized by Service Delivery Coordinator Amy Strachan (right) for finding a lost child at the Gentian & Renforth crosswalk.
James had found a young boy distressed, alone, and unable to tell him where his family and home were.
James made sure to report it and kept the boy safe for nearly an hour until he could be reunited with his parents. Thank you, James!
ASP CEO Dean Lovric spent a morning visiting crosswalks and crossing guards all over Toronto. Dean even got to put on a uniform and help some pedestrians cross as seen here at Burbank & Whittacker, supervised by experienced School Crossing Guard Cecilia Tang. It was a lot of fun to kick back for a few minutes and watch the boss take care of some crossings.
School Crossing Guard Michelle Marshall was recently gifted with a customized t-shirt from the community at her crosswalk, Bainbridge & Gorman Park.
Michelle has kindly donated the shirt to ASP so that it can be displayed at the North York office School Crossing Guard picture wall (under construction).
The School Crossing Guard Division has developed a helpful Crosswalk Safety Pamphlet for schools to share with their students. This pamphlet is currently being shared with all schools that ASP’s School Crossing Guard Program supports.
Thank you to Michelle Hagerman, Jessie Llanera, and Mohammed Mounir who modelled for the pictures in the pamphlet.
The ASP School Crossing Guard Division has received some heart-warming fanart from Torontonians who greatly appreciate their local School Crossing Guards. Here are some of the best submissions we received.
School Crossing Guard Michelle Hagerman
By School Crossing Guard Supervisor George Calbery
Michelle Hagerman has been with ASP since September 2019. She is one of our crossing guards that when I visit her location someone will always come up to me and demand that we never move her to another crosswalk away from the community. Michelle has a great sense of caring and fun. She often dresses up in costumes for holidays and children know her by name. Seen here on the last day of the school year, the community brought her balloons and wished her a happy summer break.
Thank you, Michelle, for all that you do from the smiles that you bring and to the strong sense of safety you provide each shift.
School Crossing Guard Deborah Hackshaw
Deborah joined the ASP crossing guard team in March of 2022 as a casual. Over that span of time, she has been reliable and a strong addition to the ASP team. With each assignment, Deborah puts heart and soul into the job with a strong sense of community and caring for the children. When I spoke with Deborah on the last day of school last year, she was so happy with the thank you cards she received. Deborah told me how much she loves working as crossing guard and helping the children.
Deborah, thank you for all your hard work.
Congratulations to School Crossing Guard Teresa DeRosa for being awarded a Certificate of Recognition from Flemington Public School on July 31!
On August 26, the School Crossing Guard Division held its first annual employee barbecue event. Over one hundred staff came out to enjoy free burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, games, and beautiful sunny weather in Boyd Conservation Area (Vaughan, ON).