Bowling Green crossing guard becomes a familiar face and trusted friend after 17 years

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – Every school morning, Phyllis Woods stands between traffic and children headed to class.

But after 17 years as a crossing guard, she has become something more than the person holding a stop sign.

She has become a familiar face, one children recognize, parents trust and former students remember long after they have left elementary school.

Woods said she has watched some children grow from kindergarteners into high school students.

“And they said, Miss Woods, you still here?” Woods recalled. “And I’m going like, yeah, do you remember me? You crossed me when I…and I have to take a real good look. Oh my goodness. Yes, I remember.”

For Woods, those relationships are part of what makes the job worthwhile.

“So it’s, you know, it’s home for me. This is one of my happy places,” she said.

Her consistency has also earned the trust of parents.

Woods recalled one grandparent who told her she would only allow her grandson to walk to school because Woods was stationed at the crossing.

“The only reason I let you walk to school is because Miss Woods is down there,” Woods said the grandmother told her. “If Miss Woods is not down there, she said, you’re not walking.”

Bowling Green Police Department Sgt. Brad Hogue said crossing guards play an important role in protecting children, who are among the most vulnerable people navigating busy roads.

“They’re keeping our youngest, most vulnerable people safe as they cross the road,” Hogue said.

But he said drivers also have a responsibility to stay alert.

“People not paying attention. Folks, they get into a hurry. They get lost in the moment. They get lost in their day,” Hogue said.

Woods has a simple message for drivers approaching a school crossing.

“Do the speed limit, slow down, look both ways and watch out for my kids,” she said.

For Woods, however, the job has never really been about the stop sign or the traffic.

“It’s really not about me. It’s about the kids,” she said.

And as long as she can keep doing it, Woods plans to keep showing up… for the kids who cross the street, and for the community that has become home.