Gretchen McCarthy, Editorial Director
@gretchencourant
For nearly six years crossing guard Jay Ruggiero directed the endless streams of traffic that built at the mouth of the NCHS parking lot every morning. His daily presence in a reflective yellow jacket was a familiar sight to students and parents as they crested the hill on Farm Road at the start of their day. In the week following the return from the holiday vacation, Mr. Ruggerio’s absence was quickly noticed by students as unorganized morning traffic accumulated to form gridlocks that backed up past South Avenue and Route 106.
During the holiday vacation Mr. Ruggerio fell and sustained injuries that kept him at home. Before he fell, it had been Mr. Ruggerio’s intention to retire in February, and so he decided to move up his retirement and take time to recover.
At first, Mr. Ruggerio’s absence was covered by officers from the New Canaan Police Department; however, once the need arose for a more permanent morning presence, campus monitor Patrick Mainolfi took over Mr. Ruggerio’s duties.
Initially, Mr. Ruggerio planned to return to his duties as quickly as possible after the fall; yet, his unexpectedly prolonged recovery time left the administration struggling to find a solution to the many tardies caused by his absence. “He expected that he would be up and about in a couple of days,” Assistant Principal Veronica Leduc said. “In the beginning we didn’t even know that he wasn’t there because we were inside. We decided we would work with the police department, so we put in a request for extra duty.”
The presence of NCPD Officers at Farm Road, while necessary for the safety of commuters, did not provide the same level efficiency as Mr. Ruggerio had throughout his tenure. “When there is no one out there directing traffic, or when there is someone inexperienced directing traffic we get a backup,” Dr. Leduc said. “The first time an officer is there, they don’t know the flow, so we’ve found that we’ve had more and more kids coming in who don’t get to class until quarter of eight.”
Now that Mr. Mainolfi has taken over as the daily crossing guard, he is able to gauge the traffic each day in order to learn where a gridlock may come from. “It’s hard getting used to having to realize how much traffic is coming, especially when people are impatient,” he said. “Getting 12,000 people into a place within 25 minutes is kind of hard, but it’s been working out.”
Experience with the complicated traffic patterns of South Avenue and Route 106, the main feeders to Farm Road, is something Dr. Leduc sees as tool that will increase the ability of a crossing guard to move cars through the intersection quickly. “We’ll be glad to get someone here who understands the traffic pattern and gets us in on time,” she said.
In addition to ensuring a smooth commute for many students, Mr. Ruggerio’s direction also affected the arrivals of students at both Saxe Middle School and South Elementary School. “While another person controls the light at South Avenue, Mr. Ruggiero’s efforts had a significant impact on moving the traffic so as to avoid a major problem at that light,” NCPS Transportation Coordinator Roy Walder said. “Controlling the significant traffic that results from parent drop offs at South School and maintaining a safe crossing point for small walkers is an additional responsibility of the crossing guard.”
Mr. Ruggerio’s constant presence in spite of the many mornings of harsh weather is what made him an integral piece in the puzzle that is the NCHS morning traffic problem. The chaos that followed his departure is proof that he had a deep understanding of the patterns of morning travellers. “He made himself available regardless of the weather conditions, the occasional scowl from a motorist that was apparently running late, and was even bumped more than a few times by those who felt his presence was an unnecessary burden on their schedule,” Mr. Walder said. “I believe Mr. Ruggiero truly enjoyed being helpful to the many that appreciated his efforts.”
