The Pillars of a School District: The Office Secretary

Managing a school is a difficult and arduous process that requires a special group that together makes the system work. To achieve this goal, schools employs a group of workers to assist in the management of the school. They are administrative assistants and this article hopes to bring well-deserved attention to members of this class. 

Before we properly examine the affect of administrative assistants we must first answer the question: What is an administrative assistant? Administrative assistants work in the offices and manage the school’s daily activities.

To get a better understanding of their roles, I interviewed our very own Mrs. Senecal. 

In her own words, “every day is a different day in the high school office. The phone and doorbell rings constantly. Parents, students, and teachers are in and out of the office.

“I serve as an administrative assistant to Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Liporto. I schedule appointments and maintain calendars. I act as a liaison between school administration, staff, students, parents, and other district schools, district office personnel, and the community. I handle the mail for the high school.

“I also do payroll for instructional staff and handle staff attendance. I am also on the Crisis Management Team. I create purchase orders and balance the checking and savings accounts. I handle depositing all money collected for fundraisers. Prepare purchase orders for materials and supplies. Compile the annual budget.”

Her schedule starts at 5:30 AM, where her first task is to arrange the substitute teachers for that particular day and take preliminary staff attendance. After the school day is completed she leaves work at around 2:30 PM.

Her job can be very difficult especially when multiple tasks overlap such as having to arrange the staff substitutes and managing student attendance. All of these tough responsibilities made me think about what qualities a person needs to possess to efficiently complete this job.

According to Mrs. Senecal, a person must possess the following traits: needing to work independently in a fast-paced multi-functional office, paying attention to details while exercising sound judgment. 

My last question was, what is one thing you would like the school to know about this job? Mrs. Senecal took this chance to take a personal reflection on her interactions with others and how they make her happy:

“I have to say that I LOVE my job. I love coming to work every day and seeing the staff and students in school. It is such a pleasure to work with a wonderful staff, and I have so much respect for all they do. I have a great relationship with Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Liporto and we work so well together.”

This brings up the interesting idea that it is the bond of a group of people that makes the ship sail. A metaphorical puzzle piece in the puzzle of the school. Without these various workers or puzzle pieces our school simply would not be complete nor would the school function without these pillars of a school district holding us up.

Take a moment to thank the administrative assistants of Sutton or any school. They are the heartbeat that keeps everything running smoothly.