The sound of birds chirping in the distance. The sight of lights flickering in Ed Burke stadium. The feeling of breathing in the crisp morning air that wafts through the empty parking lots; the quiet before the storm. Bright and early at 7:30 a.m., campus supervisors Jose Reynoso and Matthew Lopez step foot on campus, preparing to make sure the typical school day runs as smoothly as possible behind the scenes.
Every morning Monday through Friday, Reynoso and Lopez start the day by checking emails, turning on their walkie-talkies and unlocking their golf carts. As students begin to arrive, they patrol campus, open restrooms, help students cross the front parking lot safely and monitor the parking lots, ensuring that students and staff are able to start off their days in an orderly fashion.
Throughout the school day Reynoso and Lopez work hard to support students and staff. They ensure students are in class, maintain campus security, patrol, transport students, monitor lunch lines, assess traffic, help out students after hours and ensure the safety and well-being of the school community. According to Reynoso, they maintain balance as a team by working “opposite of each other” to make sure the campus as a whole is constantly monitored. Despite the typical structure of their days, Lopez feels like “every day is different.”
“We are striving to help you succeed by staying in class so that you’re getting that instruction from the teacher,” Reynoso said.
According to Reynoso, “the school has grown quite a bit,” acknowledging the fact that a larger campus with more buildings calls for the need to patrol more ground, making it extremely difficult to monitor with just two campus supervisors. Since he started at the school, temporary supervisors have come and gone, but the search for more campus supervisors to add to the falcon family continues.
Luckily, Lopez was brought onto the staff last year as another campus supervisor.
While their priorities are to maintain a safe environment, Reynoso highlights the opportunity to connect with students in a different way.
“So my job is … to make sure you’re not doing anything you’re not supposed to, but at the same time it’s to say, ‘How’s your day going?’” Reynoso said. “… I want it to be positive.”
Lopez feels similarly.
“A big goal for me is making sure nobody leaves hungry … But other than that, making sure everybody’s safe [is] a top priority for me too,” Lopez said. “And then just making sure everybody’s positive …I don’t like seeing anybody down, especially at school, when it’s a place of learning.”
Lopez also appreciated the fact that he has been able to connect with students more by opening up and just saying a simple “hello.”
“Ways I have been able to help is simply just saying, [things like] ‘Hello, how have you been?’” Lopez said. “It goes a long way … The more I start opening up, the more changes I see, especially when I see some students that don’t have a big social group. They like to keep to themselves and [with] just a simple ‘Hello’ … I am able to connect with them throughout time.”
In general, Reynoso also enjoys connecting with students through pop culture.
“I connect with the kids… through fashion, through shoes, and through just you know talking about music,” Reynoso said.
Some of Reynoso’s favorite events at the school are the holidays, yearbook signing and graduation where he is able to see students walk across the stage and give them a high five while reminding them, “You made it.” Overall, he appreciates the opportunity to witness students personal growth from freshman to senior year.
While the school continues to search for additional campus supervisors, Reynoso and Lopez are here to stay as smiling faces that students and staff can count on in the meantime.
“The vibe is very, very positive,” Lopez said. “I love it. You know this is new to me, because I feel like I am actually making a difference just through speaking with everybody — not only staff, but students as well.”
