Camas High School (CHS) has recently added two crossing guard positions to ensure the safety of students who walk to and from school. 

“We had some community members who were rightfully very concerned about it,” CHS Principal Kelly O’Rourke said. “They contacted me last year… and were like ‘we need crossing guards.’”

In an email sent out Oct. 25, O’Rourke announced that CHS paraeducator Kisha Swafford-Gayhart and CHS security guard Julie Bailey would be taking on traffic control.

“It has been a long time coming and one that we have been trying to get in place for over a year, but we officially have crossing guards for our morning and afternoon,” O’Rourke wrote in the email. 

“When I saw that there was an open position for [crossing guard] here, I jumped right on it,” Swafford-Gayhart said. “I thought it would be fun and it’s another way to help the students and interact with [the students] in the morning.”

“For the sake of the kids, I chose to [take the crossing guard position] because it’s very dangerous out there without a crossing guard,” Bailey said. 

The crossing guards are stationed at the crosswalk where Southeast 5th Street and Northeast 43rd Avenue meet, right outside the bus parking area. Many students utilize the crosswalk before and after school. 

“On this street, because there’s a little bit of a hill… sometimes [the] sun is right in your eyes,” O’Rourke said. “We were having a combination of kids not paying attention while walking and cars not paying attention.”

O’Rourke had some difficulties with trying to fill the traffic guard positions. 

“I’ve been trying to get a crossing guard for the area for a year. I was out there myself, [but] I can’t do that every day,” O’Rourke said. “The problem is it’s not the most sought-after job.”

The traffic guards face many issues while doing their jobs, including disrespectful drivers. 

“You have some drivers who are waving and willing to stop and other drivers who just want to keep going without any hesitation. It varies each day.” Swafford-Gayhart said. 

“Students are really good about stopping- it’s the adults that don’t stop,” Bailey said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a student run my stop sign, but the adults do all the time. They’re not paying attention.” 

Many CHS students have expressed frustration with the efficiency of the CHS parking lot. 

“Sometimes [the parking lot] gets congested,” CHS junior Selene Withington said. “It takes a while to get home.”

“[The traffic in the parking lot] is horrible,” CHS junior Orrin Brown said. “Like if they added another exit, I guess it’d get better, but it’s the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“Just because of [where] the school is located, with just that main street, there’s really nothing you can do,” O’Rourke said. “We have timed it and what we have now is the most efficient.”

The addition of traffic guards to the CHS campus has improved traffic congestion, according to O’Rourke. 

“[The traffic guards] can stop traffic quickly and allow a bunch of buses who are ready to go to get out,” O’Rourke said. “[The buses] quickly go, and if there’s a gap between the buses, then [the traffic guards] just let all the cars go.”

Students who utilize the crosswalk have gone out of their way to express gratitude for the traffic guards.

“The students—I can tell they appreciate it so much. Every student tells me thank you for getting them across the street,” Bailey said. 

“Everybody waves at me now,” Swafford-Gayhart said. “I’m getting to know the students that cross every day. Those students see me in the hall and come up to me and say ‘hi.’” 

The CHS traffic guards aim to help ensure students can safely travel to and from school without fear of danger.