Mr. Whiston: protecting our community

Every morning, a seemingly endless flurry of cars, cyclists, and pedestrians pass through QingTong Road. Cars speed back and forth and even make illegal U-turns, all while students attempt to cross the busy street. Among the routine morning brouhaha, you might have seen a man sporting a safety green-colored traffic police-esque vest overseeing the traffic to ensure that students safely enter the school. But who is he?

Mr. Mark Whiston is our resident Safety Officer, who also works as an assistant to Activities Director Mr. Brian Bates. Mr. Whiston rises early: beginning at 7:15 A.M. every day, he monitors the crossing, bus arrivals, and the ten-second zone at the Elementary School. He also works with the school guards to confirm that safety procedures are adhered to. After the morning madness passes, Mr. Whiston says that he “makes [himself] available to anyone who reports any safety issues” around campus—these issues can range from broken furniture to playground equipment to rodent problems. Throughout the school day, he also makes safety presentations to elementary students in both Chinese Track and SMIC-I from time to time.

We talked to Mr. Whiston to learn more about his important role in preserving the safety our school community, and here’s what he told us.

What do you think are some of the most pressing safety concerns at SMIC?

The most pressing concerns for me regarding safety is the heavy traffic coming to school intertwined with students and staff in a very busy period. This is something that we constantly monitor and seek ways of improvement, with great help from the PTA who are out there to help every day to ensure road safety. Students running in the hallways and stairs–not paying attention and getting hurt–can be problematic [and] has been a problem mainly in the Elementary, but it has got much better as of late.

What is an underrated safety issue at SMIC?

Those tiled floors on the bridge over the canal and elsewhere. Every time it rains these surfaces get extremely slippery and we almost always have [someone] requiring treatment at the nurse’s office.

Are there any memorable incidents during your time at SMIC that would be of interest to the community (if any)?

I really like to watch the students in their sporting events; their enthusiasm can be inspiring. It makes me think of my rugby days many moons ago.

Above all else, what is the one thing that you think students should remember?

They say your school days are often the best years of one’s life. If that`s true have fun and be good to each other and remember: Safety First.

Photo courtesy of Wesley Ding