Photo: Mike Davis Final Safety Town Graduation
by Ann Mort
Children who will enter Kindergarten this fall are eligible for week-long Safety Town classes led by Middletown Police Officer Phil Salm. The free classes are offered as morning or afternoon 2-hour sessions held at Amanda Elementary School. Children enjoy classroom instruction, films, a trip to the Fire Department on a school bus and drive pedal cars through a child-sized village in the school gym.
The object of Safety Town is to learn how to safely get to and from school whether on buses, walking or riding with parents. Observers note that the shy, hesitant 5 year olds who enter the program on Monday, leave on Friday as enthusiastic expert pedal car drivers who follow street signs very well. Children meet Mike the Bike (a bicycle who talks and teaches safety rules), ride on the Big Yeller Feller (a school bus) and are enthusiastic in helping parents also follow the rules.
Parents may choose from 16 different class sessions beginning June 6 and running through August 5.
Reservations for the 20 openings in each session are taken on a first come basis. Call Kristy Duritsch Executive Director of the Safety Council of SW Ohio at 513-423-9758 to register. Safety Council offices are on the second floor of the Middletown City Building, 1 Donham Plaza in downtown Middletown.
This marks the 34th year of the pre-kindergarten safety education program started in memory of Officer Jack Combs by Officer Harvey Poff and carried on by Officer Mike Davis who retired at the end of last year. School Resource Officer Phil Salm continues the very popular program sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Middletown. This year’s graduates will join the thousands of others who have benefitted from Safety Town. Many of those alumni are now bringing their own children to Safety Town.
PDF Flier: 2011 Safety Town Flyer.pdf
