From the college town of Blacksburg, Virginia, to the halls of CHS, recent Virginia Tech graduate and new Safety & Security Officer Micah Griffin’s journey has led him back into high school.

“I came here because [the field of security] was something I felt like I wanted to explore,” Griffin said. “I graduated with a degree in criminology. I just wanted to come here, put something on my resume and just take that leap into what else I could do with my career.”

With several policies introduced to CHS this year, including new weapon detectors and an updated cell phone policy, the role of a safety & security officer has changed from previous years. 

“My position [consists of] helping our security specialist, Richard, watching over the cameras, making sure every student is in class, taking phones away, patrolling the hallways and just making sure the safety and security of the school is intact,” Griffin said.

Having recently graduated from college, Griffin is familiar with the process of applying to universities. He believes the best way to manage the first year of college is through time management. 

“I would say the best advice really is just take time to [learn] good study habits early on,” Griffin said. “[There’s] going to be times where you want to party. It’s just time management and making the best decisions as far as your grades and just don’t prorastinate. Just make sure you get stuff done.”

One thing Griffin is especially looking forward to at CHS is the possibility of participating in a student-teacher basketball game. In addition to playing various sports games such as Madden and NBA 2K, he also plays basketball in real life, having been on his high school’s varsity team.

“If we can get a teacher versus students basketball game going on, I can come and show y’all a couple things about basketball,” Griffin said.

Since his arrival, Griffin has made an effort to engage with students and make them feel comfortable about talking to him. He hopes to have a positive impact on the CHS community during his time here.

“If you see me in the hallway, come talk to me,” Griffin said. “I’m a friendly face, friendly guy to talk to, so just say hi. Don’t be shy, all right?”