Retired GM worker Dan Koenn on his first day of work as Kenrose Elementary's new crossing guard.

By JODI RALL
For Brentwood Home Page
The most popular person at Kenrose Elementary School on Monday afternoon wasn’t even officially on campus. Parents were happy to see new crossing guard Dan Koenn and many went out of their way to greet him on his first day at work.

The school has been without a crossing guard at the school’s Raintree Parkway entrance since last spring.

Koenn, a retired General Motors employee, was looking for a part-time job to fill a few hours in the day. Originally he applied for the position at the new Clovercroft Elementary, however the Williamson County Sherriff’s Office which hires and coordinates most of the county’s crossing guards, told him about the desperate need for a guard at Kenrose. He attended orientation on Monday morning and by 3 p.m. that afternoon was anxiously awaiting to begin his new role.

Koenn jumped right in and went to work. Asked if he was nervous, he shared, “A little. I’m excited about my new role and have watched other crossing guards do their job.

“Of course I did hear about the accident here a few years ago with another guard. But I’m not worried,” he added. A former crossing guard was struck when a truck exiting the school, making a left turn, struck her. The guard sustained non-life threatening injuries; she left the position a short time later.

 Koenn took the time to walk the area in front of the school to study where cars and buses would be turning and checked his watch to see what time cars began arriving. One thing Koenn observed is that “the markings on the road and turn arrows were not visible. This could be a safety issue.”

It was a happy ending to a Monday school day for the many walkers who attend the school. Koenn smiled at the children who greeted him and thanked the parents for their warm welcome.