SAFETY VILLAGE … Students stand with the firefighters that showed them around the fire truck and ambulance to take a group photo. (PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER, STAFF)
By: Jacob Kessler
The Delta Safety Village Program is designed to help incoming kindergarten students learn and understand the fundamentals of safety they will need when coming to school.
The weeklong program teaches them about many areas of safety including bus and playground safety, bike riding safety, pool safety, stranger danger, fire hazards, food safety, road safety and more. Students are taught using many methods including songs, art, field trips, and guest speakers to name a few.
The students are put into two classes, each with their own teacher as well as high school students that volunteered to help with the program. Each day covered different topics.
Monday brought in the Delta Police Department to talk to the students about the importance of stranger danger.
They also discussed how to call 911, what to do if you get lost somewhere like the park or fair, and to not be afraid of police since they are the good guys.
Tuesday had teachers Cassidy Smith and Sam Carrisalez teach the students about dog safety and how to approach a dog and when not to.
They also taught the students about kitchen safety such as being around a stove, how to use a toaster properly, not using outlets or playing with switches.
They also discussed the importance of not getting into chemicals or medicine before going outside to learn bike and road safety.
Outside the students were able to ride around with bikes through a mock village of Delta.
The mock village was complete with cones and stop signs to teach students when they can go and when they should stop. They also used this to teach students when to cross the road and when not to.
Wednesday brought in the Delta Fire Department. Students were invited outside to watch firefighters as they explained the kind of gear they wear for a fire before getting to watch how they put it all on.
They also were taken around a fire truck and an ambulance to see what was inside each door. Students followed along as they were told what everything was used for.
The students were also taught the importance of having a family escape plan, staying low when there is smoke, stop, drop, and roll and what to do when you hear a smoke detector.
Thursday the students were able to learn about bus and pool safety. They were taught how to cross the street for a bus, sitting in the seat properly and what to do at a railroad crossing.
The students were then taken on a field trip to the Delta Pool. Here students were shown the importance of swimming with a buddy, making sure they use a life vest, and not going to deep into the pool. Then the students were able to have fun playing in the pool.
Friday the students were able to sit and review what they had learned throughout the week. They then held a graduation ceremony for the families of the students.
Teacher Sam Carrisalez explained that this is the first year for the safety village to be located at the school and that in previous years it was located at the Methodist Church in town.
“It was a good little preview for them. It is good for them to get inside the building and understand the layout before coming here for their first year of school,” said Sam.
The event was a success and led to students learning about what they need to do at home and school.
“This is a great thing for the students, and I am very happy to be here and work with them,” said Cassidy Smith.
The safety village was sponsored by the Delta Chamber of Commerce, First Fed Delta and Northwestern Ohio Rails-to-Trails.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com
FIRE TRUCK … Students meet with one of the Delta firefighters who takes them around and shows them the ins and outs of one of the village’s fire engines.
BIKE SAFETY … Students ride bikes through a mock village of Delta at the Delta Elementary School. The mock village is complete with stop signs, a railroad crossing and paintings of buildings in the community.