Security Guard Mrs. Press Keeps the High School Safe

Safety has always been an integral part of life. However, as students grow up in a world so starkly different from the one previous generations grew up in, where lockdown drills and intruder drills have become a norm, it is essential to discuss the greater emphasis placed on safety today. To get a point of view on this issue from someone who knows it up close and personal, security guard Mrs. Cheryl Press explained her daily tasks and career history as a seasoned veteran of the high school’s security team.

Along with the rest of the security team, Press, who has worked with the high school’s security for almost two decades, works behind the scenes to help the school day run smoothly, starting at the beginning of the day when the buses first arrive. “I’m usually out front where the buses drop off students, making sure the students get into the building safely,” Press said. Additionally, she checks the school’s cameras, “making sure there’s no issues,” and moderates the traffic as students arrive, a job that anyone who has witnessed the size of the morning drop-off line knows is challenging. After the students are settled in, she “proceed[s] to walk the building all day, making sure the school is safe and all classroom doors are locked.”

When asked about what led her to her current job, Press described her long history with the district: “Before I was here, I was a stay-at-home mom and worked part-time as a lunch aid,” she said. “As the kids got older, though, I decided to get a full-time job, so I started at the high school in special education. After working as a PCA for seven years, a woman who was in security moved. I applied for the job, and that was how I came into security.”

Although it has been 19 years since Press began working with the high school’s security team, she continues to love her role today. She explained, “You get to meet the faculty, [and] get to know the students. I’ve been here a long time, but I love it. It’s great.” A piece of advice from Press to the students to stay safe was simple, yet effective: “Always watch your surroundings,” she said. “If you see something, say something.”