PARKVILLE, Md. — A beloved volunteer here at Parkville Middle School is back on his beat, helping to keep the students safe as they arrive to school.
How you feel? Alright. Good, good, good. It’s all yours. Have a good one.
Parents, students and staff at Parkville Middle School call him ‘Mr. Will’ or ‘that crossing dude.’
William Shird is out here every morning, keeping the traffic flowing right here at the confluence of his driveway and the entrance to the school.
“I think they got used to the way to do things now because to me I’ve shown them the right way and the wrong way to crossing this traffic,” Shird says.
He says he’s seen a lot of near misses with drivers in SUVs or trucks who don’t see the kids as they’re darting across the street. So last year, the retiree decided he’d help get the students across safely and give them a little encouragement and humor along the way.
“Some of the kids come to school and they don’t really want to be there,” he says. “And I say, ‘Come on, lift that chin up, you going to get some edumacation. Go head lift that chin up, you going to get some serious edumacation.’ And it brings a little joy in their heart.”
In January, Shird got pneumonia. He’s been in and out of the hospital. And the whole community has been rooting for him, following his progress in a local Facebook group.
“When I was out sick,” he says, “all I kept was thinking about was how are the kids? How are the kids? How are they doing?”
This week came the post everyone had been waiting for. Mr. Will is well again, and back to duty, with his handmade traffic sign.
“It was good to know that I was missed while I was out,” Shird says. “That means that I am making a difference. And with that, that’s good enough for me.”
And the school is glad to see him.
“On behalf of our school, on behalf of our community, we just want to thank you Mr. Will for everything that you’ve done for us, keeping our students safe,” says Principal Micah Wiggins, “and as I say as the principal of Parkville, demonstrating Parkville power.”
Shird’s children and grandchildren went to school here, and he says it’s the least he could do for a school that has meant so much to his family.
