By MADISON KANE and JESSY SIEGMANN
Jericho High School introduces the new security leaders for the 2023-2024 school year, Mr. John Gordon and Mr. Julius Opa. Formerly with Summit Security, these dedicated and well trained guards bring many years of experience to their roles as co-heads of security. Mr. Gordon’s natural leadership and Mr. Opa’s community ties make them an ideal fit. Gordon and Opa have wasted no time improving safety protocols, earning them praise from students and staff for their friendly and caring approach.
Being a natural leader, Mr. Gordon became a security guard. He said, “I met a guy, and he said, ‘You’re really good at telling people what to do.’ So I said, ‘Okay, I don’t know if that’s a compliment.’ But he said, ‘No, no, that’s a compliment.’ So he made me a field leader.”
Gordon started off as a field supervisor for a private security company. He said, “I would go to these places and I would set it up. I would hire all the guards, I would set up all the paperwork, I would do all the procedures, and I kind of like doing that,” he said.
Mr. Gordon originally was a contract guard for Summit Security, the company that Jericho contracts with for all its district security needs. Mr. Gordon said, “Working at Jericho is a lot better. It’s a lot easier to make certain decisions, and I don’t have to go through a lot of red tape.”
He added, “It is easier for me to control the quality of the guards. If we have a contract guard here that we don’t feel is appropriate for this place, I can easily send them to a different place, and get a new guard in.”
Sophomore Emma G. acknowledges Mr. Gordon’s efforts to get to know the students. She said, “John is so friendly, and he always cares about how students are feeling.”
Mr. Gordon plans his day-to-day schedule so that he assures everyone’s safety. He said, “I come into the command center, check the monitors, get the cameras up and running, then I do a quick patrol of the whole building just to make sure nothing is out of place or broken.”
Mr. Julius Opa has been working as a security guard in Jericho for six years now, first with Summit, but now, like Mr. Gordon, as a Jericho employee. “Being a Jericho employee is a blessing,” he said.
Mr. Opa directs parents picking up their children outside the main entrance.
Mr. Opa feels very connected in the Jericho community and is recognized as a familiar face in the district. “I know the kids, I know the parents. The parents advocated for me talking to administration for them to hire me,” Mr. Opa said.
Students have high praise for Mr. Opa. Junior Zander P. said, “Julius is a very nice, very friendly guy, and he always has a smile on his face.”
Junior Haley S. added, “I think that Julius is a great security guard because he goes above and beyond to not only ensure our safety, but also make sure we feel cared for.”
Mr. Gordon and Mr. Opa are welcomed with open arms, and Jericho is extremely lucky to have them.