As a school in the middle of Downtown Oakland, OSA requires security to accompany students every time we leave the school. This security guard however, has multiple different jobs at our school. --Mackenzie Luna, 7th grade
As a school in the middle of Downtown Oakland, OSA requires security to accompany students every time we leave the school. This security guard however, has multiple different jobs at our school.
Patrick Secrease is a veteran security guard on the OSA staff. Secrease started working at OSA around 2003 or 2004, and was hired by Mr. Porter, (who does not work for the school anymore). However, Secrease was not officially hired by the school until 2007. “I did not know this, but he [Mr. Porter] kept me on because of my skills in facilities and my desire to keep the school safe, until they brought me on as an OSA employee,” Secrease added.
“Back in 2003, Mr. Porter offered me a job and I had a job, but this job paid more,” Secrese answered about why he came to work at OSA. Before Secrease started working at OSA, he worked many other jobs as well. He was described as a good employee from previous jobs, and hard working. Secrease added “every job I’ve worked I seemed to have excelled at.” Secrease started his career in security when he became Shift Manager at age 14 while working for Jack in the Box.
With a laugh, Secrease answered what he does throughout a day at OSA. “What do I don't do, that should be the question, not what I do. Right now I do lunch duty, security, I do facilities, I do maintenance, all that chunked up in 8 hours. So, it's not what I do, It's what I don’t do.”
Secrease explained the steps he took to get to where he is now. “First Mr. Porter hired me, I was facilities then he saw that I was good and he put me on security and facilities,” he continued, “But, security is something I take serious, ever since I’ve been working here, I’ve always had this motto, ‘Not on my watch’ so, what I mean by ‘not on my watch’, is they gotta get past me first before they get up stairs, but I put my safety ahead of the kids anytime when it come to any harm happening to them.”
“No, I don’t think about the risks,” Secrease explained, about his thoughts on risks in Oakland. “I grew up in Oakland so it comes with growing up in the town, and I’m street savvy, so a lot of times you see stuff before it happens. You can see people and things that happen before it happens.”
What’s the scariest situation he has had to deal with? “I’m from the town, not a lot scares me I’ve seen a lot,” Secrease responded. “Not really just one time someone was trying to steal some bikes over here on 19th, and I hit him like a football player so that's about it.”
“What I would want to change about the school…” Secrease took a moment to think. “Like the new OSA Way they are implemented, I would like to see the new OSA Way. Like when I first came here, the OSA Way was the way of life. The way the kids thought, the way they were inspired in the school. I would like to see where the OSA Way is really the OSA Way. A lot of alumni I am still in touch with ask, ‘Mr Secrease, do people still live and go by the OSA way?’ That shows that they really bought in and they really lived it.”
However, there’s a lot that Secrease enjoys about working at OSA for almost 20 years. “What I like the most is, you see a 6th grader come in and if they stay till 12th, you get to watch them grow up and become a young adult and if you watch them in their emphasis when they’re in 6th grade, you get to see them grow in their emphasis and see how much better they got,” he reflected.
Secrease concluded the interview adding, “I love my job.”
Patrick Secrease is a veteran security guard on the OSA staff. Secrease started working at OSA around 2003 or 2004, and was hired by Mr. Porter, (who does not work for the school anymore). However, Secrease was not officially hired by the school until 2007. “I did not know this, but he [Mr. Porter] kept me on because of my skills in facilities and my desire to keep the school safe, until they brought me on as an OSA employee,” Secrease added.
“Back in 2003, Mr. Porter offered me a job and I had a job, but this job paid more,” Secrese answered about why he came to work at OSA. Before Secrease started working at OSA, he worked many other jobs as well. He was described as a good employee from previous jobs, and hard working. Secrease added “every job I’ve worked I seemed to have excelled at.” Secrease started his career in security when he became Shift Manager at age 14 while working for Jack in the Box.
With a laugh, Secrease answered what he does throughout a day at OSA. “What do I don't do, that should be the question, not what I do. Right now I do lunch duty, security, I do facilities, I do maintenance, all that chunked up in 8 hours. So, it's not what I do, It's what I don’t do.”
Secrease explained the steps he took to get to where he is now. “First Mr. Porter hired me, I was facilities then he saw that I was good and he put me on security and facilities,” he continued, “But, security is something I take serious, ever since I’ve been working here, I’ve always had this motto, ‘Not on my watch’ so, what I mean by ‘not on my watch’, is they gotta get past me first before they get up stairs, but I put my safety ahead of the kids anytime when it come to any harm happening to them.”
“No, I don’t think about the risks,” Secrease explained, about his thoughts on risks in Oakland. “I grew up in Oakland so it comes with growing up in the town, and I’m street savvy, so a lot of times you see stuff before it happens. You can see people and things that happen before it happens.”
What’s the scariest situation he has had to deal with? “I’m from the town, not a lot scares me I’ve seen a lot,” Secrease responded. “Not really just one time someone was trying to steal some bikes over here on 19th, and I hit him like a football player so that's about it.”
“What I would want to change about the school…” Secrease took a moment to think. “Like the new OSA Way they are implemented, I would like to see the new OSA Way. Like when I first came here, the OSA Way was the way of life. The way the kids thought, the way they were inspired in the school. I would like to see where the OSA Way is really the OSA Way. A lot of alumni I am still in touch with ask, ‘Mr Secrease, do people still live and go by the OSA way?’ That shows that they really bought in and they really lived it.”
However, there’s a lot that Secrease enjoys about working at OSA for almost 20 years. “What I like the most is, you see a 6th grader come in and if they stay till 12th, you get to watch them grow up and become a young adult and if you watch them in their emphasis when they’re in 6th grade, you get to see them grow in their emphasis and see how much better they got,” he reflected.
Secrease concluded the interview adding, “I love my job.”