Behind the scenes

By David Snow (Contact) | Demopolis Times

Published Wednesday, August 13, 2008

By DAVID B. SNOW

DAVID.SNOW@DEMOPOLISTIMES.COM

They are the face of the schools for parents and visitors. They make sure that the schools’ business is taken care of nine months a year. If the school were a human body, they would be the central nervous system, directing the movement of everyday school life.

They are the school secretaries, the first people you see when you go into a school building, the first people students and faculty go to for help, the ones the principals count on to keep things running smoothly and the eyes and the ears of the schools.

“A school’s secretaries are the first people that the public sees when they enter the school,” Demopolis High School principal Dr. Isaac Espy Jr. said. “They are the first impression that parents have when they come in the school. In Demopolis City Schools, we have individuals who portray professionalism and a welcoming environment. That makes an administrator’s job easier.”

School secretaries are the go-between for faculty, staff, administration and students. Their office is a school’s hub, where everything comes together.

Many of the duties that a school secretary has are familiar ones.

“We answer the phones and take attendance reports,” said Demopolis Middle School’s Becky Gibson, now in her 13th year with the school system. “We call parents when a student is out. We help students who have trouble with their lockers, and that happens a lot at the beginning of the year.”

“One of the most important things we do is the attendance report,” said U.S. Jones Elementary secretary Janet Henderson, who is assisted by Elizabeth Espy. “If the students are sick, they come through here to see the nurse. We work with our principal, and sometimes we help track down substitute teachers.”

“I help with the traffic that comes through the school,” said Westside Elementary secretary Joeann Merriweather, now in her 26th year with the school system. “I assist visitors and parents with checking in and checking out.”

“I work a lot with the receptionist and the office aides,” said DHS secretary Lane Smith, who works with receptionist Dorothy Bruno. “I also serve as Dr. Espy’s administrative secretary, and I answer to pretty much any of the administrative staff.

Other times, school secretaries wear many different hats.

“Sometimes, we’re like mothers to the students,” said DMS secretary Freddie James, now in her 12th year with the school system. “We have a school nurse who takes care of the injuries. Secretaries have to make sure they’re nurtured and feel better about going back to class.”

“I do a daily teacher newsletter,” said Smith. “I e-mail that to the teachers; that’s a big part of what I do.”

“Before we got a school nurse, I was in charge of helping with first aid,” Merriweather said, “but we got a school nurse about three years ago, so I no longer need to do that. Sometimes, I sew buttons on clothes or help change clothes when they get wet.”

“I keep the copier machines working,” Henderson said. “I also keep the laminating machine taken care of.”

“I couldn’t survive without them,” said DMS principal Clarence Jackson Jr. “The information that my laptops don’t carry, they remember. Sometimes, it’s like they can read my mind. They are very helpful. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

“They have a tough job, but they do an excellent job,” said U.S. Jones Elementary principal Dr. Tony Speegle. “They do an excellent job here, getting me to the trouble spots when they happen. They do a fantastic job.”

“Ms. Merriweather is an icon at Westside,” said WES principal Connie Brown. “She is a walking telephone book; she knows the children’s names and numbers without checking the computer. She represents us very well. She is a lady of integrity, and we are very glad to have her.”

One article does not do justice to the work of all of the city’s school secretaries. The work of any one of these secretaries would take up even more space. Suffice it to say that they love their jobs in every way, from the students they see to the faculty and administrators they work with every day.

“We’ve got a great staff here,” said Bruno. “I love being involved with the students and parents as well. “

“You have to love your job,” James said. “You have to love kids, working with them all the time. There is just so much to do. It’s hard to describe everyday things because every day is a different day, because you have to do different things for different people every day.”