Jared Wolfe, Thomas Norman, Tony Chapp, Vern Jiles, David Nitzsche, and Abby Hall are the six security guards that patrol East’s campus everyday. From around 7 a.m. until whenever they’re able to leave, these six, along with the Student Resources Officer, and the Security Entrance Monitor, keep every student in line, and out of harm’s way. They deal with minor issues, such as kids not being in the right places, and larger affairs, like conflicts within the school. Day in and day out, dealing with a myriad of affairs, they work together, graciously forming East’s line of defense.

Though their main responsibility is to watch over and protect the entire student body, one of the most enjoyable and important parts of their job is being able to form relationships with the students. Despite not being able to routinely connect with every student, they understand that sometimes students need someone to talk to.

“I like to be that listening ear for them,” Hall said. “I try to be like a big sister if they want to come talk to me. I try to give them good advice as best as I can.”

Because of their general position of protecting the school, they deal with the assortment of problems that consistently come up. Such as mask problems, physical altercations, verbal quarreling, devious licks…you name it. And with this level of variety in mind, the security guards have to work as one, and always be ready for anything that might come up.

“You never know what you’re going into on a call,” Hall said. “Or the situation you’re responding to. You just know when you get there how you respond… I kinda like that.”

When a situation does occur, the students are unaware of what’s really going on during one of these hold drills, or lockdowns. When the drills aren’t run only as an exercise, they’re mainly conducted due to an escalated student, or another inner school concern.

Having started in October 2020, security guard Jared Wolfe claims that “deescalating students when they’re escalated” is one of the hardest parts of his job. “It was something I had to learn how to do very quickly.” Wolfe said.

Everybody has those hot buttons, especially students. And when it comes down to it, being able to calm students down in an amiable way is incredibly important. On account of this, the security team genuinely tries to show each student that they truly care.

“You can make a big difference in this job, with kids,” Head of Security Abby Hall said. “Sometimes I have no idea what they’re going through, but I try to always be there.”

Each member of the security team, whether security guard or not, fulfills the responsibility of protecting this school. Day in and day out, they go through multiple procedures to ensure the safety of everyone in the school building. And day in and day out, they do it with a smile on their faces.