peoplematter AL FECTEAU ‘65 As our society has changed, so too have security and safety on campus. Incidents of national and state school violence have necessitated a close look at NFA safety operations. Security and safety enhancements within NFA’s traditional open campus have been extraordinary, customer service-oriented, and directly creditable to the people who made them happen, chief among whom is Al Fecteau ’65. Fecteau retired in January after more than 20 years as NFA’s Director of Campus Safety. Fecteau came to the Academy with a portfolio of experiences that made him the perfect choice to professionalize and modernize NFA’s long term focus upon safety. A U.S. Navy veteran, a police department commander and the first youth officer in the city, an active community and church volunteer, the recipient of special training from communications to death notification, Fecteau says, “Everything I had done and all my experience and training came together to prepare me for this job.” And he is right. Fecteau directed campus safety operations – developing policies, protocols and procedures; training faculty and staff; counseling students; and advising parents and families. “You know the statement ‘It takes a village to raise a child’?” asks Fecteau. “Well, I believe it takes a village to keep a child safe. It is collective action, not just leadership from the top. It is about all the people who care for our students.” Fecteau is emphatic, “I worked with good people whose priority was always the students.”
Fecteau never lost sight of the human element of his job. “Our mindset has always been foremost to educate,” he says. “And, you know, the challenge of our job sometimes is that when a student seems least loveable, they may be most in need of our care and understanding. “NFA’s efforts have always been ahead of the curve dating back to the early 1960s,” continues Fecteau, and he credits a supportive Board and Head of School for recent advancements. “When David Klein came on board,” he said “the first thing he wanted to know from me was ‘Where are we most vulnerable? What do you need? Where can we improve?’ Those were great questions, because we are always improving; it’s an ongoing process.” Fecteau cites five years of continuous improvement – Visitor’s Check-in Stations at the North and South Entrances; an electronic gate (and soon to be third Visitor’s Checkin Station) at the East Entrance; video surveillance, controlled traffic patterns and a gate behind Shattuck, electronic keyless entry, upgraded alarm systems, an active safety committee, and many, many more, some of which have garnered national and state recognition. “We are in a very good place, we have accomplished a great deal,” he reflects noting that “we have changed the culture.” While the safety changes on campus startle some NFA alumni, even quite recent ones, upon reflection, all understand the tremendous need for safety, especially to maintain NFA’s traditional, appealing and iconic open campus. But, for Al Fecteau, it was always about one thing: “I always wanted to work with the students.”