by Lauren Meurer
Staff Writer

She is an essential part of our morning, we drive by her everyday, but no one knows her name or who she is. She is our traffic officer, Shelia Curley.

For twenty-seven years Curley, mother of three grown children, has been directing traffic around Westford; she has worked on Patten Road for six years now, rain or shine. She is now an essential part of our morning commutes to school. She began at Nabnasset School, then worked on 110 for many years, and ended here at WA.

On the road at ten of seven every morning, Curley enjoys directing traffic, as long as it’s moving. In the winter, she is in the freezing conditions for most of the morning, but that doesn’t bother her. She wears a winter jacket, a fleece jacket, a sweater, and snow pants to keep warm. However, in the summer the sun shines right where she stands, making the job unpleasant.

We’ve all experienced the long lines and traffic jams outside the school when Curley is not present. Lines are backed up down both streets; students come in an extra ten to fifteen minutes late, disrupting the flow of the school morning. Students, parents, and bus drivers all welcome her back.

“That’s why I don’t like to take days off, I feel bad when I hear that” said Curley.

Keeping traffic moving is Curley’s focus. Some say she takes too long on each line of traffic, but sometimes it takes some time to get the line moving fast enough.

“I enjoy doing traffic, I always have. I enjoy it when its going, when its moving” said Curley.

Getting up from anywhere between 5:30 and 7:00, students will do anything for some extra sleep. Traffic seems to all come at once for Curley. She hates to make people wait in the mornings, but with the amount of traffic heading for WA there is no way around it.

“Come earlier. [You] wouldn’t have to wait” says Curley to the parents and the students.

Curley has felt welcomed and accepted over the years she has worked here. Everyone gives her great respect on the road.

“All the faculty, and the student body, and the parents, they’ve all been great to me since I’ve started” said Curley.