Meet Pinky

Meet Pinky

a crossing guard at Western Peaks who’s name is synonymous with smiles and joy.

Sixteen 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.

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 has the kids trained to get off their bikes and scooters before getting to the crosswalk. There can be no “dilly dallying,” as Pinky calls it, and students must go straight to school or straight home. “I love kids, and I want to make sure that they get to school safely and they get home safely,” she said.

Accompanying her every morning is her trusty stop sign. Like her, it’s been around since the beginning. She carries the original stop sign given to her and has since repainted it herself. It’s held together with tape and looks like it could shatter if dropped, but that doesn’t stop Pinky from carrying it as her pride and joy. “It’s my mascot,” she says while hugging it. “It’s going with me in my coffin.”

A few months ago Pinky celebrated her 80th birthday. The school had a party for her, cake and all. Despite her age, don’t expect Pinky to be thinking about hanging up her reflective jacket and stop sign anytime soon. “I feel great,” she said. “I don’t feel it. I’m ready for another 10 years. If I’m still healthy I’ll be here.”

“She just loves the kids,” said Brown. “She always comes to all our after-school events. She really wants to be part of the community. She’s just a cornerstone of Western Peaks. I can’t imagine Western Peaks without her because she’s just part of who we are.”

Pinky celebrates her 80th birthday at Western Peaks