The best friend and security guard: Freddy

 

He walks the halls, keeping our school safe, making sure that every classroom is as it should be. Freddy Preister, affectionately known as Freddy the security guard, takes on a bigger responsibility – making VHHS students feel loved and appreciated.

“The students ask him for advice. He is always friendly with them. He is almost like a mentor to a lot of [students],” Ms. Bonfiglio, a lunch monitor, said.

He does this in a number of ways; the one that is most prominent he treats the students like his friends. He does this by not acting like he’s superior to students, remembering their name, having students call him by his first name, and giving everyone high-fives in the halls. Some of these may seem small, but they all add up, as students trust him and are excited to see and talk to him.

“He has the ability to understand students … he is always considering where they are coming from,” Dr. Guillaume said. “He knows how to take a situation for what it was and see if we can meet the need of kids and also perform his job functions, which I think is pretty cool.”

Freddy has greatly affected our school during the two years he has been a security guard. Before he worked as a security guard, he was a was a third shift maintenance worker and a caregiver for the elderly.

“Caregiver was one of my longest positions,” he said. “I would go into the elderly or disabled homes and then care for them — diaper changing, appointments, meal preparation and helping them with their medication.”

His favorite parts of working at our school are seeing the students at our school smile, and, learning more about them and what they want to accomplish in the future.

“He is so supportive. He is like a dad,” Kieren Bell (10) said. “He actually cares about the students.”

Ms. Bonfiglio added that students always come up to Freddy excited to tell him about all of the new things they have done in class or in their student activities.

“When there is a show going on, every time that Freddy walks past, he’ll always ask us about our show. He always comes, and he is just so sweet,” Skylar Torry (12) said.

Not only does he take care of the students, but he makes sure that he helps the staff at our school whenever they need it.

“He always comes very early. He comes in and helps out anybody,” Bonfiglio said. “He helps Auggie, the cafeteria janitor, pick up all the chairs and clean all of the tables. This is even before he is on duty.”

When Freddy is not keeping our school safe, he is working to improve his artistic abilities. Specifically, he is a painter, sculptor, singer , and songwriter all in one.

“[My art is usually about] emotions, family, landscapes, a number of things, whatever I am feeling at the time,” Freddy said.

For most people, Freddy is always there to support them and give them advice. Whether it is to follow your dreams or to try something new, he will always encourage students and faculty to achieve more than they think they can. Freddy explained what he believes is the most important advice.

“Do not assume that you own time. It is one of the most valuable things that we take for granted,” Freddy said. “If you have something to say to someone, do not think that you have tomorrow to do something. Tell your mom you love her; just cherish time.”