All good things must end.

The time has finally come; after years and years of rumors, whispers in the hallways and panicked students, East Campus security officer Carlos Gonzales has finally decided to retire. After his 10 years of service, Gonzales’s health has finally been brought to his attention, and he will be undergoing knee surgery. After the surgery, Gonzales will sign his retirement papers later in March. He has served in the military, been a police officer and head of the fire department. He says that working at Manhattan High has been the most rewarding job he’s had.

“All these stairs, after being a cop and being in the fire department for 20 years, it took a toll on my knees. Lucy [Gonzales, East Campus secretary,] wants me to stay with her. I said I would try, and Dave [Holloway, East Campus principal,] asked me to stay till June. I told him that I would try, but I couldn’t.”

The reaction from faculty has been a consistent mixture of happiness and sadness about Carlos leaving.

“The faculty at east campus don’t want me to go,” Carlos said. “They know that the kids will listen to me. They always say ‘Carlos can you come get this kid, I told them to go to office and they won’t go,’ and all I have to do is walk in. I think that’s what they’re going to miss. I can go in and clear a room.”

Carlos has been a staple at MHS East Campus for 10 years now, and the power that he holds there is recognizable. Still, the relationship between the officer and the students is a playful one built entirely on trust and respect.

“I get down to the kids level. You can’t be talking down to them. You have to talk to them and mean what you say,” Carlos said. “It’s a confidence between me and the students. Every year I tell them, you guys will tell me what’s going on in your school. We have a respect where you know I’m trying to help them.”

After years at MHS, and after 10 different classes of ninth graders, Carlos can still remember some of his favorite memories with the students.

“I had one student who came here about four years ago. A student came to me and told me there was a kid crying on the corner,” Carlos said. “So, I went down and talked to him. He was from Mexico and, he wanted to go home. I’m from Mexico. I didn’t want to come here either. I realized he had a great opportunity here; I had it too. I told him he had a good opportunity; I told him ‘your parents sent you here to help you get a good education.’ I finally got him to stop crying, and I said to him, ‘Stay for one month, and if you still don’t like it, I will help you get home.’ I asked him if he does any sports, and he said ‘well I run a little.’ Look at him now; he’s signed at his college; he’s got two rings. I make a difference in these kid’s lives, and it’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had.”