- May 22, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
The qualities that make an effective student safety patroller aren’t complicated, according to fifth-grader Noah Moise.
“It's really basic, simple,” he said. “You just have to be kind, respectful, care for others, and just be responsible, noticing a problem and then trying to fix it the best way you can.”
Nonetheless, the Tuttle Elementary student received a rare honor when he was recognized as School Safety Patroller of the Year by AAA, which sponsors the school’s safety patrol program.
Principal Patti Folino said staff believe the honor to be a first not only for the school, but also for Sarasota County’s school district as a whole.
“I feel ecstatic, I feel excited, I feel thankful,” Moise said. “I’m going to keep suggesting that we also give thanks to my peers, my lieutenant and my student patrollers of the month because I wouldn’t really be here without them, and my family.”
Moise said he joined the program in the fourth grade because he wanted to help people at his school, such as teachers and students in lower grades.
Teacher Justine Holcomb, the school safety patrol supervisor, says it was in kindergarten that Moise began earning the respect of his peers.
“He's going to be a person that I remember forever, and he's made that kind of impact, and if you saw them with him, they respect him so very much, and he earned it,” she said. “He didn't demand it, it's not a popularity contest. He earned their respect, and it began way before this year.”
Holcomb spearheaded the effort to have Moise recognized with the award.
After joining the patrol, Moise took over the duty of raising and lowering the school's American and Florida flags each day, before his peers elected him as patrol captain.
Moise serves in a morning post where he is responsible for opening car doors to make sure students walk from their cars to the classroom safely, and an afternoon post, where he monitors students waiting for gate pickup.
He also takes daily attendance during the morning meetings of the patrol. He is involved in training new patrols, communicating with his team, reporting safety concerns and selecting the patroller of the month with his lieutenant.
He said since joining the program and becoming a captain, he has seen a lot of growth in himself. He’s learned to be more mindful, to better support others, and to be a better leader.
Moise said when he started the program, he didn’t really know anyone there, but began to notice it was offering “social skills, friendships, and other things I really love.”
Moise was honored with a plaque, as well as a $300 Visa gift card for his family.
His sister Gallandy Moise called the family “so happy” that Noah was chosen from all patrols within the state of Florida.
“This is amazing, like this is a big deal, to see all of our hard work paying off, to see the young man that he is, to know that everybody picked him as a leader,” she said.
The reason for the award, she says, is about more than just the duties of the role itself.
“I think mostly, it’s like his character, being the person that he is—like he always leads by example,” she said. “I don't know how to really explain him, but I just know his character is out of this world, his way of caring for others, the things that he do, so I think he deserves it, and I'm glad that all of his other patrols see that he deserves it."
