(Above) Conan Bickford has many big responsibilities as a part of the LHP security team. A lot of these jobs often go over-looked by students because they are things that normally would not cross our minds. One of these responsibilites is to ensure that all safety signs stay up. Bikers and walkers often knock down the “No Tresspassing” signs around campus. Mr. Bickford must ensure that these signs stay put to make sure every Lake Highland student and staff member is safe.
At 4:00 A.M. every morning, most students are snoozing away. As they’re sleeping, little do they know, Mr. Conan Bickford is awake and already on campus opening up the school grounds. While everyone struggles to get through the five-day week, Mr. Bickford is at school seven days a week. Throughout the day, everyone can find Mr. Bickford on his bike or walking, but nobody knows the extent of what he does during the day to keep this school in order and protected. Mr. Bickford, along with his security team, do so much to make Lake Highand’s school grounds a safe and hospitable place, and we want to help spread what exactly goes on in a typical day for Mr. Bickford and the rest of the LHP security team.
(Above) Officer Tim Hoxwell, who has worked in the Orlando Police Department for 24 years, also works at HillCrest Elementary but spends his mornings here at LHP. In the mornings, he helps Mr. Bickford by patrolling carpool to ensure staff, parents, and students are safe. Thanks to Mr. Hoxwelll’s help we can safely drive, cross the road and walk to school safely. (Savannah Fondo)(Above) At around 8:25 A.M., Mr.Bickford got a message from Mr. Brian Shelton, who patrols the Upper School parking lot, that a student had struck another student’s car and immediately he went to check it out. After analyzing the situation and making sure no one was hurt, Shelton, talked to the students and their parents to find a solution to the mishap. Mr. Bickford’s expertise allows him to handle serious situations efficiently, without drawing attention to the people involved. (Savannah Fondo)(Above) This might just seem like any normal house, but this house is actually the security house for the Lake Highland Preparatory security team. Mr. Conan Bickford goes here around 7:00 A.M. every morning and all throughout the day for different purposes. The garage is essentially a storage unit that contains cameras, lockers, and bus parts, and this is where shipments arrive as well. When the security team isn’t on duty, they have barbeques in the backyard. When asked what his most exhilarating experience has been while being at LHP he said, “The day that the car jacker went over the fence; still to this day this was probably the most adrenaline dump.” (Savannah Fondo)(Above) Mr. Conan Bickford has many duties to fufill on campus each and every day. With traffic control, opening and closing the school, keeping everyone safe, delivering newspapers, and fixing lights, another job of his is to collect lost and found items. Each year, over $40,000 worth of merchandise and water bottles is found around Lake Highland’s campus. On this morning, Mr. Bickford found a sweat-shirt hanging on a parking sign. He collected it immedietly and brought it to a safe place. At some points throughout the year all of the lost and found items are put together and displayed for students in hopes that all of the items are returned to their rightful owners. (Savannah Fondo)(Above) This is the electrical room located on the first floor of the Rex Building. All of the phones in the entire school are connected here. On this day, Mr. Bickford needed to retrieve a time-lapse videotape of the Porter Family Center of Innovation being built. Mr. Brent Pirie plans to put together a video of the entire building from start to finish. Mr. Pirie and Mr. Bickford seem to be very excited about this and are working hard to ensure it gets completed. (Savannah Fondo)(Above) This is Ms. Tena Waters. She is a bus driver for Lake Highland Preparatory School. Here, she had just dropped students off and was ready to take more students to the Charles Clayton Campus. She has a lot of excitement for her job and absolutely loves the children. Morning and afternoon school bus trips are a very important step in a student’s day. Tena makes this time wonderful for Lake Highland students. (Savannah Fondo)
Savannah Fondo is a Junior at Lake Highland Preparatory School. Savannah serves as the Director of Media for the award-winning Twice-Told Tale newspaper. Savannah is a former Varsity Cheerleader at LHP and looks forward to trying a new sport this school year. Outside of school, Savannah loves listening to music, watching films, and exploring fashion. Savannah loves to spend time with her family and friends on the weekends.
Gates Valines, grade 9, is a staff member of Lake Highland Preparatory School's newspaper Twice-Told Tale. Her favorite thing about being part of the newspaper staff is the many opportunities for creative writing. She was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, and joined Lake Highland during her 8th grade year. Some of her hobbies and interests include finding music, exploring new places, and having fun with friends. Gates is excited to find and learn new things during her time on the newspaper staff.
