For more than a decade Tony Zeglis has been a trusted presence in the hallways OHS. Although Zeglis is the man keeping the school safe, he is also always just a friendly face to have a good conversation with or just to say hello.
Before Zeglis was hired as the Director of Safety and Security, he was a police officer for the Ottawa Police Department and worked as the School Resource Officer. He served as the SOR for eleven years before retiring from the Ottawa Police Department in 2021. This year it is Zeglis’ fifth as the Director of Safety and Security. As for jobs besides security, Zeglis has also worked as a gas station attendant, dish washer/ busboy, ground crew worker, and brick layer.
Zeglis isn’t always a scary or serious guy just because he works as security. Many students have built a relationship with Zeglis because of the small conversations. “Mr.Zeglis is easy to converse with even if you’ve never said something to him,” senior Korbin Cepaitis said. Cepaitis has built up a bond with Zeglis due to him being able to keep situations calm but also maintain order. “He is awesome at his job and is overall a great man to talk to in the hallways or lunch,” sophomore Rene Cortez said. Whether it’s just saying hi in the hallways or having a small conversation, the relationships built with Zeglis mean a lot to the students.
In Zeglis’ time, his favorite part is being able to talk to all different types of people from administration to students. “It’s interesting to hear about everyone’s lives and stories,” Zeglis said. Zeglis also stated that he also enjoyed being able to see his two kids everyday while at work. A memorable moment for him, however, happened outside of school where a past student had sought him out to thank him for helping them while going through a tough time.
Even though Zeglis is the man to keep order in the school and hallways, he is still a caring guy who keeps the peace while being able to build special bonds with students.
