CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β For the last four decades, Sharon "Diane" Hawkins has dedicated her life to keeping students and their parents safe as they cross the road to school.
Hawkins joined Chesterfield County Police in 1985 and earned many honors including a Virginia school guard of the year award twice.
On a recent school day outside Salem Church Elementary, she provided a masterclass in what it takes to be a crossing guard effortlessly commanding the busy intersection with her reflective vest and loud whistle.
"What you do is you wait for a natural break in the traffic. You can't stop someone on a dime. You have to give someone time to see you and react," Hawkins said.
She greets every student while lovingly calling them her babies.
"They're my children. When I start crossing them, they're in kindergarten and they go all the way up to the fifth grade. After you see them every morning and every afternoon, you can tell whether they've had a good day or a bad day," Hawkins said.
Hawkins has kept families safe at Salem Church Elementary for the last six years with prior duties at C.C. Wells, Matoaca, and Ettrick elementaries and Chester Middle School.
"She truly does care about each student, and she takes time to greet them each individually, which shows that she appreciates who they are as individuals," Salem Church Elementary Principal Natasha Wade said. "We're just so thankful that she's a part of our school family, and it's hard to imagine her not being here."
Salem Church counselor Sydney Sylvester met Hawkins three years ago during afternoon crossing guard duty.
"She definitely knew what she was doing. She knew many of the students already. We have several families that cross, so she knew their parents," Sylvester said.
Lt. Lance Turner said Hawkins has the perfect personality and demeanor for the job.
"She enjoys her job. She loves her job. She comes out here every day with a passion to do it, with a smile on her face," Turner said.
Throughout the years, she has provided coats, gloves, school supplies, backpacks, umbrellas and goodie bags to help brighten her students' day and keep them safe.
One colleague said she is known for sending out safety information to parents, rewarding the students for following rules and walking safely, teaching the students to watch out for the smaller students and respecting the people in authority.
Monday morning, one day before her 40th anniversary on August 26, Salem Church Elementary students signed a giant banner that read "Thank You Ms. Hawkins. Our Crossing Guard Angel" and gifted her handmade letters.
We asked her how much longer she will serve the Chesterfield community after such an illustrious career.
"I know I have this year in me, and I take the summer off and I regroup. Then I see if I have another year in me, and if I do have another year in me, I want to do it," Hawkins said. "If I don't, I'm ready to walk away, but no regrets."
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