100 years of AMA: School Safety Patrol

By Allison Bench

As we approach AMA’s 100th anniversary in 2026, we share some of the stories that serve as the foundation of our club. For many Albertans, their first memory associated with AMA is their time as School Safety Patrollers—when they were “superheroes of the sidewalk,” keeping their classmates safe. It’s a core reminiscence that has been shared by generations for more than 85 years. 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS 

1937: The first Schoolboy Patrol Club takes to Calgary’s streets. Dressed in uniforms with sashes made from flour sacks, the patrollers rallied to keep safe the students travelling to and from Haultain School in downtown Calgary. 

1938: Sixteen more schools in Calgary began operating student patrols. As the program grew, AMA came onboard and expanded it to Edmonton. 

1944: The name of the program changed to Safety Patrol, and girls were admitted to the ranks—a change in step with the equality women were gaining as part of the war effort. 

1954: The School Patrol was growing faster than any other AMA initiative, with hundreds of schools in the province joining the program. By 1957, it formed its own marching band—the Calgary Round-Up Band—which still exists today. 

1959: By the end of the 1950s, the School Patrol had grown to include 1,800 boys and girls supervising 135 street crossings and looked similar to the program that thousands of students still participate in today. 

1976: AMA’s School Safety Patrol™ now includes 11,000 students from 450 schools. 

Today: For decades, AMA has maintained, on average, more than 400 Alberta schools, with over 11,000 students participating in the program. Every year, AMA honours its School Safety Patrol members with special celebrations. 

Administrators interested in the School Safety Patrol Program for their schools can email schoolpatrol@ama.ab.ca.