Kathy Kaju beamed with pride as four of her former Gifted and Talented students safely crossed Cooper Street at the new pedestrian crosswalk light in front of Webb Elementary.
(Photo by Nicole Williams Quezada | Fort Worth Report)
The now retired teacher’s fifth-grade assignment on bridges and structural design has been transformed into a lasting community improvement that will help make walking to school safer for generations of Webb students.
Jaquelin Carranco, Jesus Garza, Alonzo Salinas, and Edgar Toribio were in that class. The four students – now in junior high – came back to Webb last week to celebrate an accomplishment that was years in the making.
“This was a year-long project researching bridges and using different materials to provide a good proposal,” said Kaju. “I’m just so glad that they went through all the facets to make this happen. They called Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, actually made an appointment, and made sure their voices were heard.”
The students first met with Mayor Ross at City Hall in May of 2023 to propose a pedestrian bridge over the busy Cooper Street. They presented the designs they had developed in class and shared how dangerous Cooper can be to cross for Webb walkers. Though a foot bridge wasn’t feasible, the mayor promised the City would come up with a solution.
Three years later, thanks to the persistence of the students and the mayor, the solution is a reality. A pedestrian crosswalk with a light is now in place.
“I’m just so proud of their efforts,” said Mayor Ross. “It just goes to show that those of us who are elected officials need to listen to all voices. We need to be open to what everybody has to say because some of the brightest minds have yet to fully grow up and we can learn so much from these kids!”
All four students visited the site of the crosswalk with the mayor on Friday and got to be among the first to try out Cooper’s newest addition.
“We didn’t expect to make this happen,” Carranco said. “I hope it inspires other kids to speak up, because you never know what could happen.”
Despite moving away from the area, Garza and his mother drove from Houston to be a part of this special moment.
“I felt like this was a big milestone,” Garza said. “I personally felt like if I didn’t come today, I would regret not getting to see what our hard work made possible.”
The crosswalk is now in use, serving as both a practical safety feature and a visible reminder of how classroom learning can make an impact far beyond school walls.