Matthew Wagner is one of the security guards here at Central High School. He has dedicated many days and hours of his life to helping and keeping the students and staff of Central safe. Before becoming a security guard, he was a member of the United States Army. After 27 years in the service, he retired from that job and decided to become a security guard. When asked why he became a security guard, he responded, “OPS contacted me and then I got hired.” Mr. Wagner said he has been a security guard since 2008. He’s been working at Central High School for four years. He said his favorite part of the job was working the sports games and state tournaments and seeing the students in the various activities. One memorable story is the district track meet where a student did a 6’5 high jump in untied high tops. The most important part of being a security guard at a high school is bonding with the students, a task he accomplishes by “showing respect and expecting respect back.” His daily duties include taking care of what happens in the parking lots and monitoring the school property. He is also in charge of making sure the busses get to where they need to be every day. Mr. Wagner says that he’ll miss the “atmosphere and culture” of Central when he leaves and that there’s nothing he won’t miss about Central. After retiring from Omaha Public Schools, he plans on working for another school district in Arizona. He says he’s most excited about the warm weather. His coworkers, Mr. Jeffery Longworth and Mr. Jermond Bonner said, “he’s a very nice guy, he’s conscientious, and he’s a good team player” they also said “he’s always here when you need him, he’s got it covered.” Mr. Wagner has made an undeniable impact on Central High School and the lives of countless students and will be greatly missed.