Richard Scott lines up a string of yellow traffic cones in the driveway at Discovery Primary School in Milton. He’s getting ready for the onslaught of vehicles that will arrive in a few minutes as parents drop off students for the day.

Quickly, Scott jumps into full traffic cop mode: halting a string of cars so a school bus can safely make a turn, waving a day care van through the conga line of cars, smiling at a mom who rolls down her window and jokes “Are you causing trouble, Mr. Scott?”

Everyone at Discovery knows him, it seems. And if they don’t know his name, they recognize his role in the school community.

Scott wears a vest and shirt that identifies him as a member of Watch D.O.G.S., a national program designed to encourage men to volunteer in schools. (The acronym stands for Dads of Good Students.)

“You don’t see anybody cutting in line when there’s a watchdog dad here,” Scott said.

Today, Watch D.O.G.S. is in 1,500 schools, including 58 in Washington state and 20 in the South Sound, from north Tacoma to the Gig Harbor Peninsula.

In the Fife School District, Scott and fellow “Top Dog” Tony Schwaerzler lead a pack that included 90 male volunteers last year. They not only directed traffic, but also served as classroom helpers, lunchroom and playground assistants, reading and math tutors and more.

This year, Watch D.O.G.S. is at three schools in the Fife School District: Discovery, Endeavour Intermediate and Hedden Elementary schools. Scott and Schwaerzler would love to expand the volunteer roster and add more schools to the list.

In just three years, the pair have written a marketing plan, helped develop a Web site and enlisted the assistance of Fife High School students to produce a video about the program. This year, they are publishing Watch D.O.G.S. fliers and other materials in English and Spanish.

“We’re business development guys,” says Scott, a sales manager for a technology company. “You plan it, you structure it right and you get support from parents and teachers.”

The Fife program also gets support from the local Kiwanis, which provides money, and from school and community officials.

“They bring a lot of energy,” says Discovery Principal Julie Bartlett. “They are can-do people.”

With a faculty that includes only four males among a staff of 25 teachers, Bartlett says having additional male role models is important for kids.

The men are kid magnets on the playground and in the lunchroom. And they handle tasks such as traffic patrol that might not look so attractive to moms, who traditionally do most of the volunteering.

“In an environment that’s primarily women, to have the dads come in is really special to the kids,” says Danelle Rempfer, the former PTA president at Discovery who first heard about Watch D.O.G.S. at a PTA conference.

Dads who volunteer say the response from kids is powerful.

“When you go out to the playground, you’re the tree they hang on,” Schwaerzler said. “They want you to jump rope. They want you on their kickball team.”

The national program began in 1998 with a dad, Jim Moore, who wanted to find a way to curb violence in the wake of a school shooting in Arkansas. He believed adding a male presence at schools would help. Watch D.O.G.S. include dads, grandfathers, uncles or other father-figures.

At the heart of the program is its low-key commitment request. Watch D.O.G.S. are asked to volunteer for only one school day a year, although many have so much fun they sign on for more. After passing a law enforcement background check, each man receives a sheet filled with tips, such as reminders not to smoke or use student restrooms. A written daily agenda tells a watchdog what to do, from traffic duty to hallway patrol to class time. And organizers make sure to incorporate some time in the classroom with the volunteer’s own child.

“I think just our presence is something different, something the kids aren’t used to,” says Aaron Johansen, who leads the program at Brown’s Point Elementary School in Tacoma. Last year, more than 50 men signed up as Watch D.O.G.S. at Brown’s Point.

Like other dads, Johansen says he used to feel out of his comfort zone at school. He said volunteering at his daughters’ school opened his eyes about “what really happens in my kids’ school day and how much work goes into making a school go.”

One of the most rewarding parts, he says, is watching how proud his kids are when he shows up for watchdog duty.

“When you’re the watchdog for the day, they are the most popular kids in school,” Johansen said.

Steve Gregor, who volunteers at his daughter’s school, Purdy Elementary, agrees.

“I just enjoy the time with my daughter,” he says. Being at school for a day has also given him a new appreciation for teachers: “I’d forgotten how hard they have to work with all those kids.”

At Purdy, the watchdog du jour gets introduced in the lunchroom. Kids clap.

Says Purdy assistant principal Kristi Rivera: “Every day, they’re asking ‘Who’s the dad today?’”

Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635

debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com

Watch D.O.G.S. kickoff events

Dads and other men connected to children in schools are invited to attend one of these events with their children. There will be activities for kids, and a chance for adults to learn more about Watch D.O.G.S.

IN FIFE-MILTON

What: Pizza night

Where: Surprise Lake Middle School, Milton

When: 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday

What: Pancake breakfast fundraiser at the Fife Harvest Festival

Where: Fife Community Center

When: 7 a.m. to noon Oct. 3

IN PURDY

What: Root beer float party

Where: Purdy Elementary School

When: 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 1

IN TACOMA

What: Pizza party

Where: Brown’s Point Elementary School

When: 7-8 p.m. Oct. 15 learn more online

 • www.fifeschools.com/watchdogs

 • www.fathers.com

Click on the Watch D.O.G.S. logo