They’re always somewhere in the school. Students see them all the time in the hallways. They give a friendly smile and a hello. But, has anyone ever wondered who the security guards here at Hawthorne High School really are? Two Clarion reporters sat down with the three guards themselves, Mr. Pete Vandervelt, Mr. Al Maas, and Mrs. Kate Hall, to ask some important questions.
Clarion reporter: “What made you want to become a security guard?”
Pete Vandervelt: “I was a police officer for 35 years. When I retired, the Board of Education contacted me for a job as the attendance officer in the school district, so I accepted that job first. Along the way they were searching for security guards, I sent my application in and I was the first security guard hired. Then Mr. Maas and Ms. Hall came along.”
Al Maas: “I was a police officer for 31 years. When I was on the police department, I served as the department’s DARE officer and school resource officer. So after retiring, coming to work at Hawthorne High School was a good job for me.”
Kate Hall: “I was a stay at home mom for years and I was asked to do this job. Before that I used to work for the county medical office. When they were looking for a female security guard there were no retired woman police officers that they knew of. They were trying to find someone who wasn’t working and enjoyed being around kids. So they asked me.’”
Clarion reporter: “What is the hardest part about your job?”
Al Maas: “The hardest part is the sense of responsibility for the safety of the students and the school, because it is more than just keeping an eye on the students; basically, the main part of the job is making sure everybody is safe.”
Kate Hall: “The hardest part is knowing that the safety of the school could change at moment, and how serious it could become. Also, reprimanding students, but that’s only occasionally…because the students for the most part are well behaved.”
Pete Vandervelt: “The hardest part is keeping the faculty and the students safe and secure in the building.”
Clarion reporter: “What is the most important thing you do at your job?”
Al Maas: “The most important thing is doing everything that I can to make sure that everybody stays safe in the building. Student discipline is not the most important thing, safety is the most important thing.”
Kate Hall: “Keeping a watchful eye, knowing who’s in the building at all times. Checking all doors to see who enters and exits, and to make sure that anyone who doesn’t belong here, is not in here.”
Pete Vandervelt: “The most important thing is the same as the hardest thing: keeping everyone in the building safe.”
Clarion reporter: “What are some advantages and disadvantages of your job?”
Al Maas: “The advantages are it is a Monday through Friday job, and when I was a police officer I worked around the clock and on weekends and holidays. So an advantage of this job is the hours. It is actually a very nice job and a nice place to work. There aren’t many disadvantages.”
Kate Hall: “The biggest advantage is that I really enjoy working with all the kids. And I don’t really see any disadvantages”
Pete Vandervelt: “I enjoy working with everyone here and there are many other advantages. There really are no disadvantages.”