SPOTLIGHT
PINKY Meet
a crossing guard at Western Peaks who’s name is synonymous with smiles and joy.
S
ixteen years ago, during the inaugural year of the school, Western Peaks sought out, among other jobs, a crossing guard. They were looking for someone dedicated to helping children cross Surprise Farms Loop and arrive at school safely. A woman named Thelma Notaro applied. She was a retired accountant who had moved to Arizona from Connecticut and lived in the neighborhood. Thelma had two grandchildren who would be attending Western Peaks, so it made sense for her to be a part of the school and help out where she could. Little did she or anyone else know, sixteen years later, Thelma would still be a crossing guard at the school and a longstanding symbol of dedication, kindness, and love for their community. But no one knows her as Thelma Notaro. As she walks into the school each morning everyone can be heard yelling out with incredible enthusiasm, “Good Morning Pinky!” Pinky is quite the unusual name, but when she tells the story, it all makes sense. When she was growing up at school in Connecticut, there was this boy who had a crush on her. He didn’t know her name though. One day she was walking in a group with some friends wearing a pink bow. Noticing that, he yelled out, “Hi Pinky” to get her attention. Amazingly, after all these years, the nickname stuck. “My real name is Thelma,” she says with a bit of disgust. “Who wants Thelma. I just tell everyone my name is Pinky.” As one might assume, that nickname works well with kids and adults alike. “If she’s at the high school to watch her granddaughter, she’ll see kids who had been at Western Peaks, and they’ll yell out, Hi Ms. Pinky,” said Stacie Brown, Western Peaks Principal. Thelma says she’ll hear her nickname called out at stores and all around town as people spot her. 6 APRIL 2022
Pinky takes her job as a crossing guard very seriously. In the 16 years she’s been on the job at the same crossing location, she’s missed a total of two days of work. She’s always there on time, always dependable, wants to do the best she can at her job. “That just takes a huge load as principal off of me, because I know we don’t ever have to worry about finding coverage,” said Brown. Pinky also has a very rigid set of rules for the kids to ensure everything goes smoothly. She thewest kids trained to get off their SUNhas CITY bikes and scooters before getting to the crosswalk. There
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