You may know the familiar hum of the St. Paul’s Safety vans that patrol campus day and night. On weekday mornings, as students rush to Chapel, Lead Campus Safety Officer Sam Keach climbs into an SPS Safety van and begins his shift. “It doesn’t get old, like when Chapel starts in the morning and you see kids just start sprinting,” he says. “No two days are ever the same.”
Growing up in Concord with an SPS alumna mother, Keach always felt a connection to St. Paul’s School. After graduating from Concord High School, he attended Fairfield University, earning a degree in Sociology and Anthropology. While at Fairfield, he got a job as a dispatcher in the safety office, and says he found that he really enjoyed this type of work. So, when a position opened up at SPS almost nine years ago, he jumped on the opportunity.
When Keach started working for the SPS Safety Department, he covered the night shift. While he says midnight to eight wasn’t his favorite shift, he stuck with it, fueled by a genuine love of his work. “Besides,” he says, “there’s something cool about being the only person awake at three in the morning.”
As Keach drives around campus, he says he works to update building access, tend to student and faculty needs, keep an eye out for abnormalities and more. Between tasks, he often listens to the radio: “I listen to everything: hip-hop, country, EDM, you name it.”
When he isn’t on call, Keach says he likes to spend time with friends and family and explore St. Paul’s beautiful campus on the bike. “There’s over two thousand acres,” he says. “Going through the woods, it never gets old.”
In 2023, Keach received the Benjamin Rush Toland award. The award is in honor of Ben Toland ‘38, who was “killed in action, serving beyond the call of duty, in an assault on Iwo Jima in World War II.” Each year, SPS honors staff members who display the “same gallant spirit and a true commitment to the school.”
As he approaches year ten at SPS, Keach says his love for the school fuels his plans to continue working here. “I love the community, I love the people, and I love being that 24/7 resource that you guys can always call if you need.”
In closing, Keach offers a short word of advice to SPS students: “Be patient, be positive, work hard,” and most importantly, “be kind.”