Right before the closing bells rang for the day, staff and community leaders gathered together at Seventh Ward Elementary’s library to host the first celebration of “Mrs. Katy Wells Day.”
Named after Crossing Guard Katy Wells, who was struck down by an alleged drunk driver in the line of duty, this celebratory day seeks to honor her birthday while also emphasizing the message “Choose Safety for Mrs. Katy.”
Mrs. Katy spent almost 40 years serving as a crossing guard at Seventh Ward Elementary. She later moved to serve as the Crossing Guard for the children at Gray’s Creek Elementary. She was employed as a paraeducator and computer lab manager at Seventh Ward Elementary for 36 years.
Although Mrs. Katy’s birthday is October 18th, staff and members of the Livingston Parish Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) branch agreed that celebrating on Friday, October 16th, will allow students and staff to celebrate together before the weekend.
“We wanted all these people to be able to come together on a weekday, when school’s in session, and her routine would normally be to be here with us, so that’s why we picked today,” Livingston Parish SADD Executive Director Dylan Ivy explained.
While the celebration highlights Mrs. Katy’s dedication to her community and the safety of everyone she guided, it also provides an opportunity to highlight the amazing life she lived.
As such, the event began with community members, staff who worked with Mrs. Katy daily, and her family, including her daughter and son, gathering to celebrate her by sharing stories and memories.
“We wanted to remember her for the life that she lived… not the day she passed away but the day of her birth," Executive Director Ivy noted.
Plenty of crossword puzzle books, which Mrs. Katy was often seen filling out, and some foods she often enjoyed were set up in the library as well for attendees who were encouraged to wear the color orange.
SADD gave out some of the 3,000 special orange “Choose Safety for Mrs. Katy” wristbands they made just for this day, along with specially designed bookmarks describing how Mrs. Katy will “always be in our hearts.”
After the celebration, attendees moved to the stretch of Highway 16 by the elementary school where official signs declaring the stretch of road the “Katy Wells Memorial Crossing Corridor” were unveiled.
Former Louisiana State Representative Buddy Mincey Jr. is credited with the idea for the signs, and Senator Bill Wheat helped amend bills to accommodate the signage.
Several police officers and law enforcement officials were also present, including Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard, who discussed the importance of road safety and awareness.
“We need to do a better job at paying attention… We live a very busy lifestyle. It’s so easy to look at your phone; it’s so easy to be distracted,” Sheriff Ard stated. “At the end of the day, we just need to do a better job of paying attention, staying focused, so everybody can get home in a safe manner.”
Executive Director Ivy mirrored that statement, adding that, “We know that safety should be our #1 priority… and for Mrs. Katy, that was her number one priority and she dedicated her life to doing that.”
