A fifth grader from Bemis Elementary in Troy was recognized Friday for the 2017 Statewide AAA School Safety Patroller of the Year Award.
The award is given to one deserving safety patroller in every state. This year, Justine Perakis received the award.
She wrote an essay about what she has learned while being a part of safety patrol.
More than 26,000 students are in safety patrol in Michigan alone.
“It felt good because I knew that I could be able to help people and I knew I had to keep people safe," Perakis says.
Perakis is one of five children. She volunteers in her church and has perfect attendance.
"She's just a caring individual who really thinks about others first and I think that's why she did such a great job as a safety patrol member but also in her reflection of her essay you can kind of get a sense of who she is and how special she is," Bemis Principal Jeremy Whan says.
Perakis received four tickets to a Detroit Tigers game from AAA and her plaque will be placed in the school.
