You’re running late to second period for the fourth time this week. You frantically run in the main door and with your eyes focused on the clock, you bump into a group of figures. You hear the small whispers of a radio and feel your hands clam up. You know it’s got to be the campus monitors. Dreading the bad day, you’re going to have after being ridiculed by another staff member, you slowly look up. You’re met by three pairs of eyes, a hand reaching to steady you, and an “slow down there sweetheart.”. The three campus monitors give you a quick talk about how important education and being on time is and kindly send you off to class. These are everyday interactions many students crave for within their school. Meet Jontay Williams, Becky Dawson, and Larry Mason. These three amusing, compassionate, and disciplined individuals, responsible for these interactions, are more than just a campus monitor to students at East High School.
Becky Dawson
Everyone in the school knows Dawson is the OG monitor. Dawson has been working at East for 16 years. Before working at East, Dawson was working at a day care.
“I was ready to come to the schools and I wanted elementary or middle school and they weren’t open, and East was open, so I chose East,” Dawson said. Even though East wasn’t her first choice, she’s more than happy with where she’s at. Although Dawson’s position at East is campus monitor, she takes on a lot more. Like the other monitors, Dawson is very involved with the students. She’s always saying hi and greeting any student she encounters. She does her best to look out for the students she sees and tries to impact as many as possible.
“We gotta do better with knowing who students are because there’s a lot of non-students coming into the building. And we got to do better with learning our students’ names and trying to positively impact as many as we can in day,” Dawson said. Dawson not only tries her best to impact and get to know as many students as possible, but she also sponsors a dance team at East.
“I have a dance team here at East, this is my fifth year sponsoring the dance team Unity Squad,” Dawson said. Everyone is welcomed, make sure you join. Being at East at for almost two decades, you can imagine the things Dawson has seen and experienced. Like every other high school East has its good and bad days.
“Honestly, we have little issues and stuff, it’s going to be stuff everywhere, in every high school. I can’t say what’s good or what’s bad, but I honestly like being here at East no matter what so that’s why I’m still here,” Dawson said.
Besides sponsoring the dance team, Dawson loves basketball, track, music, and boxing. In her spare time, she enjoys watching reality TV. Dawson has a late older sister, a son, daughter, and one grand baby. She loves children and loves what she’s able to do for the students at East.
Larry Mason
“I’ve been working at East since the beginning of August,” Mason said. Before East, Mason ran many of his own businesses. In Mason’s free time, he enjoys golfing. He’s a single father of four sons and has seven siblings. Although Mason has only been working at East as a campus monitor for a few months, he worked as a basketball coach last school year.
“I coached here last year and there was a lot of good coaching opportunities and I ended up getting the head coaching job here for varsity and also a campus monitor job,” Like Dawson, Mason has a great relationship with the students. Mason takes pride in not only coaching here last year, but also coaching many of his players when they were young boys.
“That makes my impact a little greater because a lot of these kids I actually coached when they were younger and not just coached them here at East high school. So that makes it interesting, and it helps me be able to build the relationships that I have with them. But the kids that don’t play basketball I have a good relationship with them also because I communicate with the kids, I mean I’m a people person. You know I communicate with all the kids rather they play basketball or not and start developing and building relationships with them,” Mason said.
Being a campus monitor, you see so many student faces and have the chance the impact every single one’s day. High schoolers are still very emotional. A bad interaction with a campus monitor, administration, or any faculty can ruin a student’s entire day. A bad day can easily turn into a bad week, and bad weeks can negatively affect students’ grades. Sometimes its not only staff negatively effecting students’ day. Parents, siblings, or issues at home can also cause a student to have a bad day. Campus monitors, being the first face many students may see can, with a simple smile and conversation can change that bad day to a good day.
“I think that a lot of the students here, we don’t know what they’re dealing with in their day-to-day situations, so I think that a lot of the administration, campus monitors and faculty, I think they need to spend more time getting to know the kids and also you know communicating and seeing how this kids’ days are going…” Mason said.
Mason strives for the success of students. Many students grow up hearing graduating college, getting a job, and starting a family Is the perfect path for life. College can be a very important factor for the future of many students. Although East has a few posters here and there, there’s many programs and organizations whose goal is to help students succeed after high school students should hear about.
“I would have more things around the school, like banners and announcements, that would give kids an opportunity to see that I can go to a prep school, or I can go to an Ivy League school, or I can go and do something after I leave East High School besides get a job and work and you know start doing things for my family,” Mason said.
Mason’s position allows him to impact a lot of students on a day-to-day basis. He’s a great coach, always has the best jokes, and has the best interest at heart for the students at East.
Jontay Williams
“My relationship with students is tremendous. I get to wake up every single day and speak to new students and get to know a little more about them and their background. Their history and everything.” Williams said.
Williams has been working at East for a little over 5 months. Before working at East, students. Many students grow up hearing graduating college, getting a job, and starting a family is the perfect path for life. College can be a very important factor for the future of many students. Although East has a few posters here and there, there’s many programs and organizations whose goal is to help students succeed after high school students should hear about.
“I would have more things around the school, like banners and announcements, that would give kids an opportunity to see that I can go to a prep school, or I can go to an Ivy League school, or I can go and do something after I leave East High School besides get a job and work and you know start doing things for my family,” Mason said.
Mason’s position allows him to impact a lot of students on a day-to-day basis. He’s a great coach, always has the best jokes, and has the best interest at heart for the students at East.
Jontay Williams
“My relationship with students is tremendous. I get to wake up every single day and speak to new students and get to know a little more about them and their background. Their history and everything.” Williams said.
Williams has been working at East for a little over five months. Before working at East, Williams worked at Brubaker elementary school as the before and after school supervisor. He worked with all the after-school programs like Metro kids and 21st Century. Williams carried his passion to connect with students and enable students to connect with each other to East. Williams hosts a small group talk during East’s Scarlet time, where students can come together to have debates and discussions to voice their opinions.
“I started a group called real talk, real answers, real solutions. Better known as Triple R. It’s a time for kids to come and voice their opinions about things that are going on in the world, things that could be going on at home but also group discussions. So, they can understand that the people that are sitting next to them are probably going through the same things as well in life,” Williams said.
Triple R is one of the many things Williams does to go out his way to positively impact as many students as he can. Williams is always in the halls smiling and greeting students. He’s always asking about students’ days, checking on them, keeping them from skipping classes, and being that staff member many students may not have realized they needed.
“I really feel like just one single conversation can just change a whole kid’s perspective on the school and life in general. Being able to let them know they have you the voice. And let them know they have someone to talk to regardless of any situation,” Williams said.
Williams is a basketball player so in his free time he trains kids for basketball in the community. He has an organization called Big Guard U where he teaches skill development, how to become disciplined, hold themselves accountable. When he’s not training, he’s hanging out with his family or shopping for clothes and shoes.
“You know I like to look good. First impression, best impression,” Williams said.
Although Williams is like a friend to many students, and loves to keep a smile on their faces, he equally wants to push them to succeed.
“I just wish we could all try to get on the same page and really push these kids to be the best that they can really be and let them know they can do whatever they want to do. All it takes is hard work and discipline,” Williams said.
“’Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction, ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must but take the step.’ Big quote that I use, I don’t know I just want them to understand that they could do whatever they want to do. It’s all up to them all they must do is take that final step, to better themselves and when they do that bet on themselves and when they do that have an overall goal in life you know and find the goal and aim for that,” Williams said.
Everyone has bad days. Children and adults. Some peoples’ days are worse than others. Although everyone’s bad day can start from something different, a lot of the time everyone needs the same thing in those times. They need a listening ear, someone who will tell them what they need and not what they want to hear and a good laugh. When walking into the doors of East High School, you will have never had a problem finding those things. Williams is the best at not just listening but hearing what you’re saying, paying attention to your words and responding in the best way he can. Dawson, also good at listening, will tell you exactly what you need to hear. It may not always be what you want to hear, but its going to be some good advice that’ll help you out. And Mason is one of the funniest coaches at East. He’s always having to throw in some slick comment that leaves every ones stomach hurting from laughter. East may not be the top school in every

ones eyes, but the students, staff, and spirit is what makes it the top to its students.

Gallery • 3 Photos