MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Mary Smith has devoted her time and energy to keeping school children safe! On Jan. 11, 2024, Mayor Shane McFarland recognized Smith, a School Traffic Patrol crossing guard, with the STARS Award. Smith has served as a crossing guard for nearly twenty-five years.  

STARS stands for “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.” STARS are examples of representing the City in a positive light, exhibiting the core values, and creating a better quality of life for citizens.

Smith was hired as a Police Department School Safety Patrol crossing guard on Dec. 29, 1999. The description in Smith’s nomination highlighted her exemplary and lengthy service as a crossing guard:

“I am pleased to nominate Ms. Mary Smith for a STARS award. Ms. Mary Has been employed by the City as a crossing guard since 1999. She has been keeping our kids safe for nearly 25 years, after having retired from her first career. I have two children who attend Erma Siegel Elementary School. This is our fifth year as Erma Siegel parents. We live nearby and walk to and from school every day. Ms. Mary directs traffic at the kindergarten entrance into the school along Regency Park Drive. She takes great pride in keeping the parents and children of Erma Siegel safe. In my hundreds of walks to and from school, I have never once witnessed an incident or accident at this entrance to the school. While maintaining safety is of paramount importance, that is not the only thing that Ms. Mary takes pride in. Every day when we walk to school, she is quick with a smile and a friendly word. I have been on the receiving end of hundreds of ‘How are yous?!?!?’ And ‘Have a good days!’ from Ms. Mary. A smile, a wave, or a kind word from Ms. Mary gets your day started off on the right foot. And it is evident form all of the honks and waves that she gets from the parents driving by that she is universally appreciated and valued by all of us Erma Siegel Elementary parents. Ms. Mary is an exemplary representative of the City. I am thankful for her presence at Erma Siegel and for the car that she takes in keeping our kids safe each and every day.”

The STARS Service Excellence program recognizes outstanding employees who embody the city’s standards for service excellence and exemplify the city’s core service values. The purpose of the STARS award is to recognize and reward those employees who go beyond their normal job duties in providing outstanding customer service to internal and external customers.

The STARS nominations are reviewed each month by a STARS committee consisting of City employees who then vote for the nominees.

Congratulations to Mary Smith for being named a STAR!