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HAMILTON — You can never be too careful when it comes to crossing the street.

Hamilton City Schools Resource Officer Bob Gentry has been telling district students that for more than 40 years.

First-graders at Van Buren Elementary School took part in Gentry's pedestrian safety program on Monday, Oct. 6.

Focusing on kindergartners and first-graders — "who are still too small to cross the street by themselves" — Gentry keeps the rules for the program short and simple:

• Look both ways and over your shoulder before you cross the street;

• Always cross at the crosswalk where the two, big, white lines are at the corner;

• Never run, walk quickly.

Six-year-old Chris Lawson and his classmate, Cody Goolsby, agree that Gentry's program helps them to stay safe.

The most important part is "to look both ways," before crossing the street, Lawson said.

Helping children remember in rhymes "sticks with them," said Gentry, whose safety programs are in conjunction with the Greater Hamilton Safety Council.

"Red is on top, and it always means stop," he repeatedly tells students referring to traffic lights. "Green is below, it always means go. And yellow's in the middle, to help you a little, to caution and slow down."

Repetition is an important part of teaching students, said Gail Schlenk, a first-grade teacher at the school.

"Students need repetition on every skill — especially life skills," Schlenk said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2158 or lebbing@coxohio.com.