Campus supervisors Tim O’Neill and Jerry Frizell are commonly seen cruising on their golf cart around campus or managing the lunch line. The two are beloved by the community for their approachability and dedication.
“That’s what it’s all about. The staff and the kids. It’s our passion to help students,” O’Neill said. “We’re helping, giving back to the community.”
Originally, Frizell and O’Neill had a background in the arts.
“We were film editors before in Hollywood for 40 years,” Frizell said. “We retired and then we decided to get involved with students and stuff.”
Frizell and O’Neill realized that they love working with kids when they both became grandparents at around the same time. This also taught them valuable skills that they use in their jobs today.
“It’s fun because you guys are young adults,” Frizell said. “And it’s like, you need to be spoken to like adults, not like kids anymore. And to me, I know how to do that because I have two grandkids at home. So it helped me. You’re constantly here learning how to communicate.”
Frizell and O’Neill feel fulfilled with their work on campus with students.
“Every day there’s something going on,” O’Neill said. “Somebody gets upset about life or they’re getting too much pressure at home to be a rocket scientist. They talk to us and we try to make them feel better and relieve some of that stress.”
Campus supervisors should usually have a good relationship with students and staff, and Frizell and O’Neill have done just that.
“We have a good relationship with all of the students,” Frizell said. “We try to take care of everybody. As much as we can, we’re here to try to help you and the teachers.”
Beyond academics, Frizell and O’Neill have a lot to teach students.
“See, the teachers are teaching you academics. We’re trying to teach you what goes on outside the world. This is different. If you want to know what it’s like to have a career, we can tell you what it’s like to have a career.”
Frizell and O’Neill believe that there are two very important skills to have to succeed in life.
“It’s all about work ethic,” O’Neill said. “Because the only credibility, in my opinion, that you have going out in the big world is your work ethic, until you build up credibility in other ways.”
“Work habits too,” Frizell added. “It’s just working. We come from real hardcore, you know, multitasking. If you didn’t have that type of edge, you wouldn’t make it.”
By working at a high school, Frizell and O’Neill are able to maintain a youthful perspective.
“The kids here keep you young. Keep you mentally and physically together,” O’Neill said. “Because unless you interact with this age, sometimes, it’s very easy to fall behind.”
While the students are lucky to have such great campus supervisors, Frizell and O’Neill also feel lucky to work with students.
“And guess what? We’re putting a smile on your face ‘cause we’re doing this,” O’Neill said. “Tim and I are lucky. We have you guys.”
