Mr. White Opens up about His Return to ERHS
Written by Audrey Bakst
Photo by Sydney Weber
Brison White is often seen standing in the hallways, sharply dressed in a nice sweater and dress shoes, sharing a hello or flashing a smile.
Mr. White, as he’s known to ERHS students, is the student safety liaison. He manages the hall monitors and some of the paraprofessionals at East Ridge. Don’t be mistaken about his position though.
“I’m not here to be the bad guy,” White said. “A lot of people see my position as an enforcer of some sorts, but if you’re doing what you're supposed to be doing I’m going to be the one encouraging you for you to get some leeway because you’ve earned it.”
White adds that there are some cases where students force his hand. “I have to deal with trying to recenter them so I can keep doing my job,” he said.
White went to East Ridge himself. After spending his freshman, sophomore and beginning of his junior year at Cretin Derham Hall in St. Paul, White transferred to East Ridge for his final four trimesters of high school. He loved it. The change of scenery helped with his fresh start at East Ridge.
He said, “I think it was very eye-opening for me to come out here and to be able to be part of the experience that a lot of students were going through. I appreciated it, for sure.”
White was a student athlete, too. He played football at East Ridge, and then continued on to play in college.
Times have changed since White went to East Ridge. He said that kids – and even adults – have changed. Kids are doing things differently now after the pandemic. The culture and characteristics of high school, and the world in general have changed. And his position at the school has obviously changed too.
He stated, “Being a student in comparison to being a staff member, it’s obviously very much different and I think it’s given me the opportunity to see things on both sides of the coin.”
White added, “I see a lot of kids who think they have life figured out like I thought I did. I see kids having to make decisions that could make or break friendships like I did. I see kids not taking advantage of some great opportunities thinking the same way that I used to. And now that I’ve seen both sides of that coin, it is my job to be able to help a guide anyone and everyone who I can to do what’s best for their future like someone once did for me.”
White also has advice for current high school students.
“You’ll never get these moments back. High school is definitely one of the most fun times you’ll ever have, just because not everyone is guaranteed to go to college,” he said, adding, “It’s just important to take advantage of moments, these relationships, and these friendships that you build because they may be gone at some point and time.”
