By Colin Demers
Q: How long have you been in Chicopee Public Schools?
A: “I have been in the Chicopee Public School system for 26 years.”
Q: Have you always been a secretary?
A: “No, actually. I started out at Chicopee Comprehensive High School where I was a teacher's aid."
Q: What other jobs have you held?
A: "I've had a couple of different jobs before CHS. I worked at a fundraiser company, I worked at a department store when I was in high school, and I was a stay-at-home mom with my kids when they were young.”
Q: What are some of your most important duties at CHS ?
A: “Two of my most important duties include payroll where I make sure everyone in the building gets paid, and filling in substitute teachers for when teachers are absent.”
Q: Favorite part of the job ?
A: “My favorite part of the job is interacting with the kids and watching them grow up.”
Q: Least favorite part of the job ?
A: “I really dislike figuring out who is going to cover who when teachers call out sick, or are absent. It can be very stressful."
Q: What was your “I almost quit” moment ?
A: “One day, a student ordered food to be delivered here at the school and it got dropped off at the main office. The student comes down to get her food and asks me if she could have her food. Food is not allowed to be ordered to the school, so I did not give the student her food. The student proceeded to rip the food out of my hands and ran off with it. I called the Vice Principals to get the student who snatched the food out of my hand and the VP’s got to the student. They ended up doing nothing about it and let the student keep and eat her food, and I was, and still am, so upset on how it was handled.’’
Q: Most rewarding part of your job ?
A: ‘‘Watching the students mature, grow, graduate, and pursue their goals is what's most rewarding about working in a school."
Q: How have students and parents changed over the years?
A: ‘‘Well, since COVID began, kids have been more needy and parent behavior has become nastier. I have been told to 'f-off' over the phone multiple times since the pandemic began in March of 2020."
Q: How’d you get your position?
A: ‘‘It was pretty straight forward. I applied for the position at Chicopee High School and ended up getting the job.’’
Q: What made you want to be a secretary?
A: ‘‘I've always been a supportive person and love to help everyone out. So I think the job was the perfect fit for me.’’
Q: What is your opinion on YONDR?
A: ‘‘I seriously love it, So, there used to be 45 dismissals a day before YONDR. On the first day of YONDR, there were less than 10 total dismissals that day. Parents aren’t bringing much stuff in anymore, for example, chapsticks or clothes. There is none of this anymore because kids are not using their phones to text their parents begging to get picked up or for things to be dropped off. I love YONDR.
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