Published: May 27, 2009 10:18 pm      

Mark Maynard: Trek is an Ashland tradition: 5/28/09

It was way back in 1966 when Ashland Police Department Capt. Earl Borders initiated the school safety patrol’s annual trip to Washington, D.C.

Forty-three years later, nearly 9,000 students from the Ashland area have witnessed the nation’s capital up close and personal in ways they could have never imagined.

Last week, the safety patrol group, now led by Sgt. Mark McDowell, made the annual trek. I was with the students for the third time as a chaperone for Rose Hill Christian School, where my wife leads the safety patrol group.

The trip is an educational journey for young and old alike. The students see things they may never witness again, all the while building lifelong memories about maybe their first trip away from Mom and Dad.

There’s always plenty of boohooing on the morning of takeoff from the parking lot of the Ashland Town Center. But it’s mostly the parents doing the crying as their young ones board the buses.

They should never worry about safety on this trip. McDowell and the team of APD officers are with us every step of the way and these guys are good. They know what to look for and take every precaution to make sure the students and staff are safe. Not only that, but a medical team of doctors and nurses is there. The patrol trip leaves nothing to chance.

For instance, after the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, the safety patrol didn’t go to Washington, D.C., but ventured instead to Williamsburg, Va., for a couple of years to ease the fears of parents.

McDowell, a veteran of 24 safety patrol trips in various capacities (student, film seller, bus officer, director), says every year organizers look for ways to improve. He credits his predecessors — Borders, Chief Rob Ratliff and David Slone — with paving the way to “streamline the trips.”

One selling point has been the number of parents and even grandparents who have made the trip over the last 43 years, he said. “Many parents have no qualms whatsoever because they’ve experienced the trip,” he said. “The trip speaks for itself. Safety is at the forefront.”

The officers on the trip are paid, and they put in full days from 5 in the morning until 11 at night. The students also begin developing a rapport with the police officers and that can only be a good thing for the future.

“The city is a big supporter of the safety patrol program,” McDowell said. “They modify the schedules of the officers attending. They don’t lose their regular pay for that week if they’re in attendance on the trip. Last year, we took the city manager (Steve Corbitt) along, which was a good experience for him to see firsthand what our officers do. Mr. Corbitt made a comment to me after the trip that it was a win-win for the city and the police department.”

This year’s trip featured a couple of first-time sightseeing ventures. The Pentagon Memorial, which was dedicated Sept. 11, was a chilling visit and the Air Force Museum was a favorite stop.

Arlington National Cemetery was another sobering yet amazing site. Because it was Memorial Day weekend, the cemetery was adorned with more than 250,000 flags. It took 24 hours to put the flags in place and would take 24 hours to take them down after the holiday. It must take an army of volunteers to complete that task.

The students were respectful and almost mesmerized by the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You could watch that hundreds of times and still be moved by the precision and respect shown as the soldiers are on guard.

Even with obstacles thrown in front of them, McDowell and his staff were ready at every turn. On the way up, one of the bus drivers became ill and couldn’t continue after making the trip to D.C. Another bus was losing its transmission while in Washington. We left the parking lot in Ashland with five buses and returned home with four, a little more cramped but safe and sound.

President Barack Obama scheduled an impromptu press conference at the National Archives the same time the safety patrol was scheduled to visit. That changed some plans, but some creative scheduling allowed the students the chance to visit the National Archives and see the original copy of the Declaration of Independence later in the afternoon.

There was no trip inside the White House this year, but we witnessed the helicopter taking off from the back of the White House lawn with the president onboard. Everybody was as excited about that as if they’d seen President Obama in person.

There’s plenty of goodwill to be had for the APD. Captain Borders should take a bow for starting such a rewarding and worthwhile trip those many years ago. His legacy will live for many years to come.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.