School Security Officers, referred to as SSOs, carry the heavy burden of ensuring school safety. Though students may think otherwise, an SSO’s job is not just about patrolling hallways and confiscating cell-phones.
One of the school’s SSOs, Melissa Bridge makes it her goal to provide a nurturing, fun environment for learning. Interestingly, Mrs. Bridge did not start off her career working in schools. In fact, she had spent three decades working in retail-security before becoming an SSO.
“I have a background in security,” Mrs. Bridge said. “Most of my career has been in security, but once I got here and I started to get to know the kids. Seeing [my] kids grow and mature and circle back around from where they were in ninth grade. It’s all worth it, and I’m so happy that I’m here and doing the job that I’m doing.”
Mrs. Bridge is aware that it can often be hard for students to empathize with school security workers, and wants to drive home the message that SSOs are human, too.
“I’m a real person,” Mrs. Bridge said. “I am married; I have three children, two dogs, and a lot of people go, ‘You have kids, really?’ I’m normal like everybody else. My kids went to Briar Woods, so I get it. I’m just here to keep [kids] safe and try to make a difference.”
In an effort to connect with students, Mrs. Bridge often goes out of her way to build personal connections with them, utilizing different strategies daily to reach different people.
“You know, connecting with the kids, I try to learn the name of one new student every day, which is really like five to ten everyday,” Mrs. Bridge said. “Not necessarily on bad terms, discipline terms, but also just to meet and greet and let everyone know that I’m here if they ever need anything.”
Creating a supportive environment for students is something that has been very important for Mrs. Bridge in her three years at Stone Bridge. Her commitment to her students, or as she refers to them, her ‘kids’ is clear, as she constantly strives to make a difference in their lives, ultimately adding to the overall sense of safety in the school.
“I wish there was more of me,” Mrs. Bridge said. “I wish I could touch the lives of each and every student here, and I hope that at some point along the way of them being here for years, that I can make a difference.”
Mrs. Bridge stressed that in order to keep the relationship between security and students positive, students must have respect for school rules.
“I think just adhere to the basic fundamentals of why they’re here,” Mrs. Bridge said. “Students can survive without their cell phones for an hour and just follow the protocol. We all just need to work together and focus on what we’re here for, and that’s for our students to get a good education and learn that there are boundaries in the real world, like there are here at school.”
Mrs. Bridge’s goal can sometimes be difficult to sense due to the nature of her job. Although SSOs want to keep students happy, their first priority is always to keep the school safe. Balancing having a good rapport with students with enforcing the rules is a challenging undertaking.
“Kids need to get up and de-stress,” Mrs. Bridge said. “So, the kids are always walking the halls or just finding every excuse to get out in the hallway, and sometimes that’s not the safest for them. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt the first time, even the second time, but [make] them understand that there’s roles and boundaries in place for a reason. My job is tough, but it’s all because I care.”
