Ever since Miami Palmetto Senior High opened in September of 1958, the school’s security guards have kept the school safe and running. Over the years, security staff have come and gone, but the 2023-2024 school year’s security staff have maintained a sheltered and functional school environment for students and faculty alike.
The 2023 Security Staff consists of:
Head of Security: Amy McCormick, since 2011
Assistant Head of Security: Donnavin Martin, since 1999
Security Guard: Robert Gomez, since 2017
Security Guard: Matthew Vincent, since 2009
Security Guard: Leshundra Talton, since 2020
Security Guard: Sheldon Smith, since 2014
Security Guard: Aramis Sanchez, since 2020
Security Guard: Collin Robinson, since 2018
Security Guard: Trevon James Hughes, since 2021
Security Guard: Diane Gilmore, since 1987
Security Guard: Felipe Mack, since 2008
The security staff can be found monitoring all areas of the school, opening and closing the entrance gates to handling issues on or near campus to helping the students.They hold positions as trusted adults that ensure safety and comfort within the school.
“My best moments at Palmetto are when I get to help students and it makes a difference in their lives. Every day when I come to work, I get to feel like I’m making the school a better place. And, the best part is when the kids graduate and they come back and they are just happy to see me. I get to feel like I made an impact in their life and that’s the most rewarding part about being a security guard,” Martin said. “Well, actually, our job doesn’t just consist of securing the school, we come in the mornings and we make sure all the gates are open for the students to come in. We make sure the parking lot is secure and everything in the school is secure to make sure it’s ready and safe for when the students arrive. We also make sure that the students are safe and the faculty and staff are safe. By doing the front desk and sitting in the hallways, we just want to bring safety and comfort to everybody that comes here.”
The security staff at MPSH is made up of security guards who have served for multiple years on end. For example, Gilmore has worked at MPSH for 36 years. These long-time Panthers have witnessed decades of MPSH history pass by, with changes in students, staff and even the campus layout.
Several security guards attended MPSH as students and came back to work at the school. Sanchez, Hughes, Robinson and Mack attended MPSH as students and are currently working at the school, contributing to the staff that keeps MPSH secure.
“I actually graduated from Palmetto, and I came from working from a prison before. So, when I came back to the area it felt like a no-brainer to come to the high school. It feels like family. I love every second that I get to be here and get to spread encouragement and words of wisdom to whoever needs me,” Hughes said.
The security staff at MPSH continues working every single day to make sure that MPSH is the safest place to be, so students can pursue learning and have a shielded and superb high school experience.
