Wednesday, April 21, 2004, was Administrative Professional Secretary Day. Secretaries are the “behind-the-scenes” folks that when they do their job perfect no one notices, but if something does not go exactly right the whole puzzle falls apart.

Like at most schools, here at the NAME Community Schools, the secretary is a key player in communicating with parents, the community, teachers, the support staff, and the administrative team. Secretaries take care of administrative details, schedule appointments, make sure messages are delivered, word process detailed, and at times confidential documents, handles school records, and implements school policy.

Of all the people in an organization, the secretary is most aware of what is going on everywhere in the district on a day-to-day basis.

The school secretary may make a call to a parent about a sick child this minute and turn around and process the latest district testing data the next. At one point in her day she may provide an employee with necessary supplies and just a few minutes later organizing field trip permission slips.

The school secretary is a valuable gear in the machinery that makes a school successful. The secretary is usually the first person the public comes in contact with when the visit or call the school. For a professional secretary, being pleasant and calm, even during early dismissals due to bad weather, is important. The secretarial staff at the NAME Elementary, NAME Middle School, NAME High School, and our business office are very dedicated individuals who go the extra mile to make school a good experience for students, employees and parents.

As I prepared this "NAME" article, I reflected back on my first experience with each of our secretaries either as a parent, a co-worker, or as an administrator. I am grateful for all they do. NAME, NAME, NAME, NAME, NAME, NAME, NAME, and NAME each have left an impact on who we are as district. I am grateful for all they do and the image they portray of what the NAME School District is all about. Enjoy your special day.