On any given day, when students drive onto the Mater Dei lot, stroll on campus, or go through the school day, a tight-knit security team is present to ensure the safety and well-being of all on campus. Mater Dei is a closed campus and hires a staff specifically for purposes of security. Not only do they help to oversee traffic during busy drop-off and pick-up times, but the team monitors the cameras, and patrols the school 24/7. Additionally, the school orchestrates safety practices such as fire and earthquake drills to contribute towards a safety-first community. Mater Dei’s Executive Director of School Safety, Jack Conklin ‘80 is one of the many staff members that work to manage and coordinate consistent safety procedures for all Monarchs on campus..
“Mater Dei High School has several safety measures in place to help ensure campus safety,” Conklin said. “From a systems perspective, we have over 175 video surveillance cameras throughout campus to help monitor our campus twenty-four hours a day. In addition, the campus is equipped with perimeter gates that can be remotely closed and locked in a moment’s notice.”
Periodically throughout the school year, Mater Dei hosts a series of safety drills in the event of earthquakes, fires, and invasions to keep the student body and staff prepared.
“So far as a sophomore, I have experienced a good amount of safety drills at [Mater Dei],” sophomore Izzy Waddington said. “This practice is a significant safety measure as it establishes our community’s care for safety and is also educational! [Most students] agree that drills bring a renewed sense of safety and organization and don’t take too long.”
An additional safety measure on campus is the required IDs for both students and staff. Mater Dei requires all students to wear IDs whenever they are on campus to ensure the safety of each individual.
“From a student’s perspective, one of the most important measures of safety at Mater Dei is the IDs that we have to constantly wear,” sophomore Brooklyn Krotts said, “[The IDs] are so significant because it identifies and validates whether a student actually goes here or not, through showing a picture of the student’s face [with their] name”.
However, some students tend to forget their IDs. A forgotten ID typically results in a write-up from teachers, due to the safety issue and the need for all individuals to be accounted for and identified during an emergency situation.
“One of the challenges with keeping Mater Dei safe is with students that may be tempted or [not remember to follow] dress code and not wearing their ID,” Waddington said.
Despite students forgetting their ID at times, Mater Dei employees are dedicated to keeping the school campus an organized and safe place. The source of the motivated, dedicated security staff is the hardworking and cooperative people that surround it.
“The most enjoyable part of managing Mater Dei High School’s safety are the people I am privileged to work with every day,” Conklin said. “Campus safety is a team effort and requires everyone’s participation; students, parents, faculty, and staff all working together to help ensure campus safety by reporting unsafe conditions and suspicious activity.”
Although safety issues like earthquakes, invasions, fires, and student identification are potential concerns for Mater Dei, the greatest possible safety measure provided for the school is a unified, organized team with specific protocols in place for each theoretical scenario.
