While many Kyrene employees have stepped forward to help out the district and individual schools in their time of need, there are still several positions that need to be filled.
Schools within the district are actively looking for crossing guards, a part-time job that requires about 10 hours each week. They are also looking for lunch duty personnel at five Kyrene schools for a similar schedule.
While the search continues, office administrators, teachers, and sometimes even principals have stepped up to fill in at the crossing guard post.
One of those employees is Cindy Peterson, who fills many different roles at Kyrene de los Lagos Elementary. She is a kindergarten through third-grade teacher, she works lunch duty, she runs the after-school Native American club on campus, and for the last two years, has worked crossing guard duty before and after school.
“I did it initially as a favor to (former principal) Tonya (Yalung) because I knew they were short on staff and since then it has just kind of stuck,” said Peterson, an Ahwatukee Foothills resident. “So I just started to help out. But you really get to meet all the kids and it’s nice because they will do things like ask where you are when you are gone for a day.”
District spokesperson Nancy Dudenhoefer said it is a perfect job for college students or retirees who only want to work 10 hours or so a week.
“You work about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon,” she said.
Kyrene schools start at several different times. Most elementary schools start their day at 7:45 a.m. and get out of school at 2:35 p.m. Middle schools generally start at either 8:15 a.m. or 9 a.m. and the day ends at 3:15 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
Both positions require a fingerprint background check, as required for all jobs that work directly with children. All positions can be found on the district’s website, www.kyrene.org, where those interested can also apply.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-4903 or troemhild@ahwatukee.com
