Bedford Hills Elementary School student Eleanor McAngus received the prestigious 2024-25 Outstanding AAA School Safety Patrol Award. As a Safety Patrol Captain, McAngus has demonstrated outstanding commitment to keeping her fellow students safe and modeling good citizenship as a leader in her school community.
“This patroller’s dedication to her studies and school, her classmates, and her community makes her a shining example of leadership and character. We can’t think of a better representative of the AAA School Safety Patrol,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic representative Adam Reece, who presented McAngus with the award at a school assembly.
The AAA School Safety Patrol program promotes safer school environments and provides leadership opportunities for millions of children. Since 1920, AAA has provided equipment and educational materials to patrollers, including reflective belts, patrol badges, and training resources. At Lynchburg City Schools (LCS), Safety Patrol duties include facilitating safe arrival and dismissal practices, escorting kindergarteners to and from their buses and cars, monitoring the hallways to encourage positive conduct, and raising and lowering the American and Virginian flags daily per state code.
McAngus went above and beyond her duties this fall by designing a certificate to award younger students who embody the “Husky Way”—being respectful, responsible, and ready to learn—at dismissal. She also spearheaded efforts to train fellow patrollers by reading the AAA training handbook and sharing key points with the squad.
“From the moment I met Eleanor, she stood out to me. She loves to learn and thrives as a leader and captain of our Bedford Hills Safety Patrol. She finds joy in lifting others up and works hard to make sure she’s leading by example,” said Bedford Hills teacher Heather Burkhardt. “As the mentor teacher for the safety patrol program, I’ve been honored to collaborate with Eleanor throughout the year, and I look forward to seeing her impact continue to grow in the future.”
McAngus’s impact reached beyond Bedford Hills when she launched a school fundraiser called “Change for Change” to combat homelessness in her community. Together, she and her fellow students raised almost $400 for Miriam’s House, a local Lynchburg nonprofit addressing homelessness and hunger. Throughout the year, McAngus has demonstrated initiative in delegating tasks to those in her command, uplifting her fellow patrollers, strategizing to promote her squad’s effectiveness, and coordinating community outreach efforts.
“Eleanor's leadership style is transformational, inspiring and motivating others through her unwavering dedication to the AAA guidelines. As a strong communicator, she leads by example, demonstrating confidence while collaborating with staff,” said LCS School Security Officer Jim Scott. “Eleanor empowers her staff to carry out their mission, fostering trust and reliability within the team.”
McAngus joins the ranks of more than 679,000 students making a positive difference in school communities nationwide through the AAA Safety Patrol program. The leadership values and safety awareness instilled through the program have a lifelong impact on participants’ future success; notable alumni include U.S. presidents, astronauts, governors, Congress members, Supreme Court justices, Olympic medalists, and authors, like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” writer Jeff Kinney.