Students at St. Francis Solanus School in Quincy are accustomed to getting help from Carroll Range, their school’s long‑time crossing guard.

QUINCY - Carroll Range is a fixture at St. Francis Solanus School, where he has served as a crossing guard for 15 years. Every school morning and afternoon he is there, helping the students and smiling and waving to car drivers passing by. "His children went to Catholic schools when they were young and he's a big believer in Catholic education," said Vicky Mitchell, fifth-grade teacher at St. Francis.     

"When the students learned Mr. Range's wife was back home after spending two months in the ICU, but still required a lot of care, they wanted to help," said Mitchell. The students held two jean days to raise money for the family's medical bills plus held a food drive for the family.

At a special assembly at the end of the school year, the students presented Range with a check for $1,300. "There were many tears on his part, as well as from the students, faculty, staff, and parents," said Mitchell.

"He was so grateful for his gift and overwhelmed by the generosity of everybody at St. Francis," she said. "We were so happy that we could do this for him and his family and hope to see him for many more years to come."