Gussie Millar and Shanee Krebs Try to Make Sidewalks Safe

 When they walked to from their homes on Canton Drive, they had to walk along Laurel Canyon Boulevard north to school.

“It’s a narrow, treacherous, dirt path that forces children and parents to step onto the road to get around overgrown plants and trees,” they wrote in a report for school. “Imagine glancing over your shoulder looking to avoid traffic wearing a backpack or walking with your parents pushing a stroller?”

Now, Gussie Millar, 12, and Shanee Krebs, 13, are in but the problem still exists for kids going to Carpenter.

They wrote a report and took photographs for a class project and then they decided to do something more with it and presented it to the , and then to the

In a unanimous vote, the Neighborhood Council agreed to ask for a scoping study by the Los Angeles Street Services Engineering Department to determine the viability of a safe pedestrian route along Laurel Canyon Boulevard from Canton Drive to the school. Principal Joe Martinez is thrilled that the girls did the project and said, “It is much needed.”

Neighborhood Council member Richard Niederberg said, “It was a compelling PowerPoint presentation that girls gave. It was quite professional.”

Alan Dymond, president of the Residents Association, said, “We were very impressed with the girls. They identified a problem and now there may be a workable solution. These two young ladies have identified an issue that can help the safety of the public, and gardeners and young children who walk along this area.”

“We never thought it would get this much response or get to this level, it’s very exciting,” Gussie said.

“We did this for a civics class assignment, about social activism, and this was a situation where some kid could someday get hit by a car," Shanee added

That would be too late, everyone agreed. And the girls are exemplary examples of Patch