Your feet quietly trudge down the hallway, and you rub your eyes wondering why anyone would decide to implement fluorescent lighting. You hear an uproar of laughter from a class somewhere behind you. There’s faint chatting, and you’re getting closer to it. As you walk closer you can make out more and more of the conversation. It’s about the UVA game last night. You walk a little closer and lock eyes with Scott Jeffries. He lights up with recognition and he greets you with a smile and a “Hey!” You wave back and feel the warmth of being seen, not only perceived, enter every fiber of your being. You think back to something you heard Mrs. Tyler say, it was something like “[Jeffries] has a great repertoire with all students,” and thinking back to the group of students around him, you realize that nothing could be more correct.
Jeffries is one of the three school security assistants at WAHS who ensure students’ and the school’s safety. The roles were created in 2021. Every morning the team of Jeffries, Jermaine Dyer, and Melissa Baker make sure the school and students are secure by patrolling the hallways, restrooms, and exterior of the building.
Jeffries enjoys working at WAHS. “Every day brings a new challenge, and there is never a dull moment in my position as security assistant,” he said. “I also enjoy talking with the students here, building relationships with them, and trying to put smiles on their faces.”
With a multi-faceted background, Jeffries is something of a jack-of-all-trades. He grew up and attended high school in Princeton, West Virginia. He began playing golf at eight years old with his father and brother, and, in four short years, won the junior state championship. He continues to play to this day and is often seen at courses like Meadowcreek, a golf course in Charlottesville, or Old Trail. He’s always loved the outdoors and played golf and basketball in high school, as well as playing golf in college.
He got a degree in criminal justice at Bluefield State University, intending to join the FBI or Secret Service. However, they were downsizing at the time, and since he didn’t want to be a police officer, Jeffries became a vocational rehabilitation case manager. A vocational rehabilitation case manager, as Jeffries put it “helps people get back to work [or] find jobs.”
Jeffries was in the Coast Guard for four years before college, a vocational rehabilitation officer for ten years after college, and a wine dealer for twelve years. He served in the Coast Guard in southern New Jersey and joined because he wanted to travel, be around boats, and serve his country. When he was a wine dealer, he sold to local grocery stores like Harris Teeter or Great Valu.
For Jeffries, education is in his blood. He has multiple principals and a superintendent in his family, and his father was a high school driver-ed teacher who also coached basketball and golf. Jeffries was a basketball referee for thirty years and enjoys working with kids. When he saw there was an opening here, Jeffries figured that he could work with kids all day.
Students like him, say he is a friendly and easy-to-connect-with individual, even if it’s just a quick conversation or a simple ‘good morning’. Many sentiments expressed by students include that he is “the sunshine of the school” and “super friendly and funny.”
Jeffries also coaches multiple sports teams, such as basketball, girls’ soccer, and football. As Kiki Siddiqui, a sophomore whom he coaches in soccer, put it, “He’s always so friendly and is able to bring the mood up with a couple of words.” He is infinitely genuine and cares about students and their future. As a driving positive force, he is a vital part of the WAHS community.
