Highland Terrace student named to AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame

Britta Thomas with Janet Ray
of AAA Washington receiving award

Britta Thomas, a 6th grader at Highland Terrace Elementary in Shoreline, was inducted into the 2017 AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 20. 

She was recognized for her dedication to safety, community stewardship, leadership in her school’s AAA School Safety Patrol program and the motivation to help keep students and parents safe as they walk or ride their bikes to and from school.

Thomas is seen as a safety advocate at Highland Terrace and seen by many as a role model to her fellow patrollers and classmates.

She leads by example, takes her patroller duties seriously, is dependable and responsible for training new school patrollers because of her knowledge and dedication as an AAA School Safety Patroller.

Thomas was joined by nine other outstanding patrollers from other elementary schools in Washington at an awards ceremony held before a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field.

For more than 25 years, AAA Washington and a panel of judges from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission select top patrollers from elementary schools in Washington each year and honor their accomplishments through induction in the AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame.

Patrollers are evaluated and judged on their commitment to traffic safety, citizenship, leadership skills, and contributions to school safety patrol programs. Nominations require input from both the patroller and their advisor, including responses to a series of essay questions.

AAA created the School Safety Patrol more than 90 years ago and partners with local agencies to bring the program to elementary schools across Washington. The safety patrol has been credited with being a major contributor to the substantial reduction in traffic related fatalities of school age children (ages 5-14).

AAA Washington has been serving members and the traveling public since 1904, providing roadside assistance, discounts, maps and personalized trip planning. Its full-service travel and insurance agencies provide products and services for members and the public.