Front Office staff: The people that hold the school together

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to run the front office of a school building?

Buzzing in visitors, answering phones, doing early dismissals, and calling people down for admin. There is always someone coming or going. How would you ever get bored with all of this as your job?

“It is chaotic and crazy busy at times, but it’s usually pretty fun,” said Secretary Amy Perkins. 

Even though the main office isn’t officially open until 8:00, hard-working Secretary Kathy Garrison arrives at 6:30 to prepare for substitutes. Then you have Secretary Michelle Gettier that stays until 4:30 when the office really closes at 4:00.

The secretaries stay busy the entire time. “You will also be constantly interrupted, so you have to be easy going and flexible about that and just roll with it,” Perkins said. “The worst part about working in the front office is the constant ringing of the doorbell.”

The front office staff is in charge of office security, so each visitor must be checked in. 

In addition to their hard work on a daily basis, the front office secretaries took on added challenges this year. Following Loudoun County being on the news this year for several controversial issues, our high school received several phone calls from people from across the country thinking our school was the administration building. 

According to Perkins, when angry people called, she would just hang up the first time, then if they called back again she would transfer them to the admin building. 

Another added challenge this year has been finding coverage for teachers who have to be absent, some from COVID, or having to stay home with quarantining family members.

“Most challenging part for me is arranging covers for teachers that do not have substitutes and getting materials/information together for substitutes,” said Garrison. 

Not only does she work in the front office. “I was also a student here and graduated in 1982,” said Garrison. 

The school was different back in the 1980s when Garrison attended. 

“What is now the library was the main gym and the band/music hallway next to the auditorium was the cafeteria,” said Garrison. 

Through all the changes, one thing is clear: our front office staff helps the school in ways most of us are probably unaware of. “I do not think that this school would function without them,” Assistant Principal Kristyn Inman said.