Crosswalks in front of a San Jose elementary school are a little safer now thanks to a big idea from three fourth grade girls. The students devised a way to help kids get to school safely after a fellow student was hit.
Three Payne Elementary School students decided everyone should carry a bright orange flag in the air as they cross the street. The girls designed a colorful bin to hold flags on each side of the crosswalk.
Students simply grab a flag and carry it high as they can as they walk in front of cars, then they place it back in a bin for the next student to use.
The girls came up with the idea during an after-school program after a fellow student survived being hit by a car in front of school on the last day of the 2014-2015 school year.
“We researched and a lot of kids just get hit because people can’t see them and it’s not their fault because if you can’t see somebody how do you know they are there?” said Iha Shah, one of the fourth graders who helped create the idea. “So the pedestrian flag is kind of, it’s such a bright color that you can actually see it and just shows that somebody is there.”
All five crosswalks around the school now have more than 20 flags thanks to donations.
The school district is also considering placing the flags at other schools in the district.
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All three girls will be honored by the San Jose City Council during a meeting in March.
