>> See the neighborsgo video 

“We safely cross about 130-150 kids, give or take, depending on the day,” said Earl Burnett. Earl is one of two crossing guards with the Garland ISD who directs traffic at the busy intersection of Liberty Grove and Princeton in Rowlett.

Just as the sun rises each weekday, children in the Waterview community head to Keeley Elementary on bikes, scooters, and on foot. With reflective gear and stop sign in hand, Earl manages one side of the street, while crossing guard Joan Maddux monitors the other.

Garland editor Kandace Dodson and I dropped by to visit Earl and Joan at the crosswalk this past Friday. Their friendly smiles and watchful eyes brightened an otherwise overcast day. There was a light mist in the air, the sound of a water fountain reaching up to the clouds from a nearby pond, a steady stream of automobiles on their way to work – and, of course, the occasional HONK.

But the honks we heard were not coming from car horns or diesel rigs that clamored for position at the intersection. Instead, these were the incantations of a third crossing guard – one known only as Sam – whose feathers seemed a little ruffled at first by the presence of two strangers on the corner with cameras and reporter’s notepads.

Eventually Sam warmed up to Kandace and me, reassured by Joan’s gentle hellos and a wave of Earl’s stop sign. But duty called and Sam had to follow Joan into the intersection to help guide a flock of young bicyclists to the other side.

Sam strutted back to the sidewalk proudly, honking at the traffic as if to say, “Pay attention to the school zone, commuters. There’s a lot of little kids out here.”

Joan explains, “Sam is our Waterview goose, and he comes up from the pond and joins me at the crosswalk when I park my car every morning.”

The goose has been stopping traffic at the Liberty Grove and Princeton for about two months now.

A bus driver who frequents the intersection named the goose, as well as a fellow swan (Sally) and duck (Georgette). Perhaps in training, Sally and Georgette hang back by the rocks to observe Sam at work.

You, too, can see Sam in action in this neighborsgo video filmed and edited by Kandace (I held the umbrella and comforted Kandace, since she admitted she once had a “bad experience” with a goose at her grandmother’s house). 

>> Is Sam really a long lost Aggie? Read the latest update here.