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East End schools and sports events are targeted by METRO community outreach teams led by METRO's Mike Martinez who is seen distributing rail safety informatiton at a recent East End Little League game. |
More than 32,000 area students, from kindergarten to college age, are learning to "Think Safety" around METRORail construction and operations. The award-winning program has developed a huge following while being presented to 46 area schools on the near northside, East End, and southeast areas. The safety program has also given rise to badges and curriculums for Boy and Girl Scout groups.
Walter Heinrich, manager of rail safety for METRO and a Scout leader himself, helped organize and supervise Boy and Cub Scout visits to METRO's Rail Operations Center (ROC).
He hopes the education the boys received during their visit will be shared with peers. "If we can reach these groups they will go on to help spread the word. These Scouts are taught to lead by example and we want that example to be safety'," Heinrich observed. "Facilities like the ROC are great incubators for conversations about everything from signals to how METRORail brakes work."
 Boy Scouts gather at METRO's Rail Operations Center (ROC) for a Merit Badge Class.
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Students watch during a break in a METRO safety presentation to their East End school. |
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Mike Martinez has directed METRO's safety program for more than four years now working with HISD and other local schools and colleges. Martinez says he's proud to see real progress, "When we started I was a little apprehensive - we had a lot of ground, (and material) to cover. It's been very well received, however, and schools and families have expressed gratitude as well as requests for further instruction as we prepare to open the new line.
Martinez, a former Marine, says "I can truly say we made a difference with this instruction. It's a great program and, as a father, I appreciate how safe we want our children and families to be."
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