Students see Prior Lake High School’s crossing guard, Sheldon Bryant, every day, but they don’t know the many things he does outside the school. He is a father, ambassador, supervisor, philanthropist, and so much more.
At Prior Lake High School, Sheldon has held many roles like working in the lunchroom, as a para for special needs, and as a campus supervisor.
“I started out spying on my kids in 2014 and 2015 when they started going here, and then they made me sign some papers and next thing I knew I’m an employee,” Sheldon said.
As a crossing guard, Sheldon tells students jokes and the national holiday every morning while directing students and cars on campus and occasionally dressing in school spirit. He has apps downloaded on his phone that provide a joke and the holiday each school day.
“I know almost every joke in the machine,” Sheldon said.
He retired in 2004 but spends his days waking up early and stocking the dairy case at Hy-Vee before heading over to the high school to monitor the crosswalk.
Sheldon also spends his free time with his various hobbies.
One of his hobbies is cars. He owns twelve cars including a 1952 Farm Truck, a 1966 Thunderbird, a 1966 Chevy Malibu convertible, a 1969 Honda 305 dream motorcycle, a 1991 Jaguar V12 convertible, a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport, a 2000 Corvette coupe, a 2005 Harley Davidson, 2009 Dodge Challenger, 2011 Dodge Challenger, 2016 Mercedes s550, and a 2013 work truck.
Sheldon also does clowning in his free time with a club called Clowns Across the River. He has been a member for fourteen years now.
Aside from his hobbies, he runs an organization called Smoke Signals. This non-profit organizes various events for the community.
One of his biggest events is a farmers’ market called The Little Market That Could. It will be open next on June 20th- September 19, 2024 and is located at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Prior Lake. It includes over a hundred vendors and lots of activities.
“We have car shows, we have clowns, we have pet adoptions, we have food trucks, we have live music, we have a DJ, we have just about something for everybody,” Sheldon said.
Another thing that he does for his community is a daily tribute. Sheldon does twenty-two pushups for every twenty-two veterans who commit suicide everyday. He started on August 7th, 2016 and hasn’t stopped since.
“It was supposed to be a twenty-two day challenge, but I just didn’t want to stop,” Sheldon said.
He has performed and recorded this tribute in forty-nine out of fifty U.S. states, Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica. He has also taken his tribute to high schools, fundraisers, sporting events, supermarkets, and even highways.
Sheldon also gives out scholarships at Prior Lake High School to students who are going to further their academics at a trade school. For nine years, Sheldon, along with his son and daughter, have donated money to two or three seniors.
“Everybody makes a big push on ‘go to college, go to college’ but college isn’t for everybody. You go to college and get a big student debt at the end of it. When you go to a vocational or trade school, you’ll have a paid internship, you’ll graduate with a job that pays 60,000 or 70,000 dollars a year, and you’re set for life,” Sheldon said.
Last school year, they selected former student Titus Jacobson along with two other students to receive the scholarships.
Jacobson started at Dakota County Technical College in the fall and began an internship at a Caterpillar dealership working on compact construction equipment.
“The money from the scholarship helped me in many ways. It helped me buy tools, which are more expensive than most people think,” Jacobson said.
Sheldon not only gives his time and resources for good, but he also gives some advice.
“I believe our purpose in life is to help others, whether it be through the sharing of our wisdom, our time or other. Remember, even the smallest act of caring for another is like a drop of water – it will make ripples throughout the entire pond.”
