Rebecca Lockett

Parker is on a full-sized city block, and Ms. Rebecca Lockett does everything in her power to make sure that every student is safe. She works Monday through Saturday from 3:00 pm to 11:30 pm. There are five security guards in total, but only three guards in a shift. They protect our school with over nine hundred students attending it. It’s a challenging job, but Ms. Lockett does it with grace and intelligence.

Ms. Lockett’s day starts at 7 o’clock in the morning when she wakes up. At this time, she prepares dinner in advance for her children, checks on her mother, and takes her two daughters to their school. She arrives at Parker at 2:30 pm for her shift, and she works until 11:30 pm. She lives in the Chatham neighborhood, and she says the commute on public transportation is one hour and approximately 30 to 45 minutes. This commute is not as tiring when compared with her commute to O’Hare when she was working there as a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) officer.

“My favorite part about Parker is working in an environment where everyone is accepted, and treated with respect.”

Before working at Parker, Ms. Lockett worked at a mental hospital and O’Hare airport. She informed us that while working at the top airport, she worked at Terminal 3. At the airport, Ms. Lockett had to be very strict. At Parker, she can be nicer, but she still has to be firm. When Ms. Lockett worked at the airport, she had to make sure everyone was going to the right place and that everyone belonged there. At the mental hospital, some situations could have ended badly, but she always stayed calm and solved the problems at hand. When we asked Ms. Lockett what she would do were she not a security guard, she said that she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Her profession involves being in charge of safety for everyone from elders to kindergarten students. One has to be very patient and on top of it to succeed in this job. She also told us she really enjoys the work. Overall, Ms. Lockett has had many exciting jobs leading up to working at Parker.

One moment when Ms. Lockett’s safety was in danger was while she was working in the mental health facility. An older man had walked in and was armed with a knife. The man asked her if she wanted to keep her fingers. Ms. Lockett remained composed. She talked to him as if he didn’t have a knife, and handled the situation calmly and expertly. The man walked away and out of the facility. This one example shows the poise, courage, and bravery it takes to be a security guard and handle a difficult situation. We should not take this quality for granted.

Ms. Rebecca Lockett is very calm in emergency situations. For instance, during an alumni party at the school, it was a sweltering hot day, and one of the guests showed up in a suit. After a little while, the guest complained that he was too hot and he said he could not breathe. Ms. Lockett had to call 911. She stayed calm and was able to get the man to safety.

Between her work and her children, Ms. Lockett does not have a lot of free time. But, in her spare time at school, she makes sure that there is nothing and no one suspicious around the school. If she sees anyone that looks suspicious, she will lock the door, so the person has to ring the bell.

As we've noted, Ms. Lockett doesn’t have much time to herself outside of Parker, but when she does have it she loves watching Lifetime. She says the shows are so realistic that sometimes it feels as if the TV is watching her. She loves spending family night and movie night with her two children. On family night she makes finger food for them and they play games like Guesstures.

School safety is a big problem in modern society. Ms. Rebecca Lockett ensures our safety. She does her job with much integrity, and we are so grateful for the work she does to keep the school and us safe. Ms. Lockett shows so much pride in her work and helps all of us learn in a safe environment. We cannot thank her enough for what she does for the school and for us.