In recent years, school security has become increasingly important to staff and students in ensuring their safety. You may have seen the tough, burly security guard roam the halls of Mountain View, and you may have ran the other way when you saw her coming as well. Well little do you know there’s more compelling things about Mountain View High School’s school security, Madisun Ortega, than just yelling at kids to go to class and kicking students out of bathrooms.
There’s more enjoyable things than you might think about being school security other than the fact of legal responsibility, crisis management, threat assessments, and safety protocols. Being a part of security at school can be pretty rewarding in making a difference, relationship building, problem solving, and personal growth. “I enjoy all the relationships I’ve built with the students and being able to know that I am helping raise the next generation.” said Ortega.
Though school security might seem like a simple job, having the right characteristics for the role plays an important part too. Ortega is a very ambitious, favorite security monitor. “You need a lot of patience, being able to not take everything kids say to heart and to have a good sense of humor.” Ensuring that staff, students and even parents feel safe and comfortable in school is crucial. Making everyone feel welcomed and want to come to school is also a very important part.
School Security can indeed be a stressful topic and mentally exhausting. Dealing with incidents can be highly stressful and challenging to mitigate. “I tell myself that this situation isn’t gonna last and if I can get through a hard situation, it’ll only make me stronger and ready for the next.” Said school monitor Ortega.
While school security Ortega is not only a school security guard at Mountain View High School, she has an alternative position of a wrestling coach at Loveland High School. “ I grew up wrestling and I wrestled throughout my childhood. In middle through high school I wrestled at Thompson Valley High. I had a family that wrestled so it just kinda stayed in my life. When I started working in Mountain View I got the opportunity, got the job offer to coach at Loveland high school and that’s where I went! At first it was scary because I didn’t know any of the kids there so it was a new situation, got the hang of it, got to know the girls and I’m back.”
School monitors and security might look to advance their careers for the future by becoming full time teachers or administrators, but Ortega will follow where the wind takes her. “ I’m just taking it day by day, but I’m always looking for new opportunities in the future and whatever comes my way.”
