How parents near Vogel Elementary have become everyday heroes

(Seguin) — Every morning and afternoon — a special kind of village gathers at the crosswalks near Vogel Elementary School.

This village, however, is not an official program or school initiative but a grassroots brigade of parents, neighbors, and two steadfast crossing guards who have all turned an ordinary crosswalk into a symbol of community resilience, love, and friendship.

Whether they are getting beat down by the Texas heat or braving the winter chill, folks will find this group of dedicated individuals stationed just south of the local elementary campus – ready to escort school children across a bustling and dangerous section of FM 725.

At the heart of this operation are crossing guards Jimmie Allen and Lily Vigil. Allen says despite their efforts, cars don’t always stop. That’s where he says the parents quite literally –– step in.

Allen, who began his job in November, says it’s amazing to see these parents come out and do what they do. He says although they are not on the payroll, they clock in with purpose.

“The parents could see that the traffic wasn’t slowing down. And so, they started protecting me. I would be in the street, and I couldn’t see both trucks at the same time, and the person behind me would just keep creeping up behind me so they would come out and form a wall. And the people (drivers), several times just haven’t stopped in time, and they’ve had to slide their brakes. So now, they put a wall on that side. So, there’s a quarter for the kids to walk through with parents watching our back and us watching the kids,” said Allen.

Allen says these great sets of parents and grandparents have helped turn an ordinary routine into an extraordinary act of care. He says whether the school bell rings in the morning or the afternoon, he can always count on a handful of parents to be ready to help.

“It varies. Generally, it’s about six or eight (parents), but some days it’s 10 and 12. Some days it’s for four or five. But the kids get out of school at 3:30 and they make their way to the gate. At 3:35, they come across and they’re all across the street, and so then, everybody goes home,” said Allen.

One of those parents who arrives like clockwork is Angeles Rodriguez. Rodriguez has five children enrolled at Vogel and says the support is invaluable.

“There’s a bunch of cars just going. No one cares how fast or who’s all out on the road. They just keep going. They have literally rolled up on the crossing guard, and we’ve all literally had to be like, yo, stop! I don’t care if it’s just my kids out there. It’s all the babies that are coming across. I don’t care if it’s mine or theirs. It’s all of them (we care about). We are all parents,” said Rodriguez.

Simply calling this batch of parents, “Parents Stepping In,” is Kay Cooper. Cooper, who has one child at Vogel, says although they appreciate each other, they would still like folks to heed the warning and slow down when traveling.

“Last year, we only had Miss Lily. This year is the first time we’ve had two crossing guards. I mean, they’re doing the best they can. There’s only so much they can do, and again, thankfully, Jimmie is also here too. So, now they both need to get a side. But it’s hard because she’s almost been hit last year,” said Cooper.

Parent Autumn Parkinson who started helping out last year is still in awe of what she calls “the village.” She says it’s not something you expect to see, but it gives you so much hope when everyone does their part.

“I think it’s amazing. I go home and tell my mom all the time, I’m like, all these parents — they’re putting their lives on the line, including us, at almost getting hit, just to make sure that kids get home safely. They’ll hold up traffic to make sure the stragglers get over. It’s amazing what we’ve done, because we can’t do much. But the little that we do, does make an imprint,” said Parkinson.

The group admits that its bond has grown beyond the sidewalks. Cooper says they’ve become friends, confidents, and an unspoken safety net for one another. They all agree that when it comes to the kids, they are all responsible.

“It’s amazing. It’s incredible.  We need it because some kids don’t come up here with their parents. You know others have to get super early to work. They don’t have time to exactly watch. They know there’s crossing guards here. And that’s the best they can hope for. And they’re doing the best they can with that,” said Cooper.

Even while standing in the 105-degree weather, Allen says he’s amazed with the rapport among those who show up for kids. He says maybe that’s because he knows exactly what can happen.

“Yeah, they would see that I was visibly upset that people were going through a school zone, speeding — a little bit of a backstory — on my 12th birthday, I got hit by a car in a school zone by a lady not paying attention. And we didn’t have cell phones back then, and I broke my arm,” said Allen.

Despite it happening many years ago, Allen says the woman who hit him still has difficulty overcoming that day and still seeks his forgiveness. Nonetheless, Allen says he does not want anyone else to pick up the curse of having to deal with the same memory or worse – killing someone.

Although this extra support by parents can be commended, there remains the issue of having folks slow down. With the summer bell about to ring, parents are already thinking about next year. They say they hope to put a little more pressure on those who can hopefully step on the brakes of some of these reckless drivers.

Meanwhile, Vogel students have their own batch of heroes.

And while they don’t wear capes, they show up with heart.

Because at this school crosswalk, these heroes don’t fly — they walk, stand, wait and sometimes shout… until every last child gets home.