St. Johns School Schools
by Rhonda Dedyne
No one remembers for sure when current St. Johns Public School secretaries and their retiree counterparts began meeting for a “very informal” dinner at the close of each school year. One thing is certain however, all 23 of the lively ladies who gathered this time around had a really, really good time.
Current Secretary Photo: Rhonda Gingrich, Mary Donald, Renee Lewis, Sheila Waggoner, Traci Zampaloni, MariJo Weatherwax, Bernadette Hayes, Mistie McKane, Stephanie Kingsbury, Michelle Gorby, and Mary Beth Adams-Rosenbaum.
Their experiences that span multiple decades and generations of students prompted lots of good-natured laughter by the group that they themselves describe as being “old timers and still working old timers” – a comment that led to another round of chuckles.
“We have a good time whenever we get together,” SJ Secretarial Association President Michelle Gorby says, crediting MariJo Weatherwax and Misti McKane for coordinating this year’s dinner. “The number of retirees who are able to attend each year varies, but we always have a good turn-out and enjoy seeing them.”
Retirees: Myrna Wieber, Vicki Waggoner, Linda Hyde, Wanda Baker, Ruth Root, Sara Zamarron, Edna Eaton, Barb Trefil, Janet Walker, Dorothy Cornwell, Pat Moore and LouAnn Myszak.
The names of the 12 retirees in attendance this year are familiar to thousands of SJ alumni who they interacted with over the years: Myrna Wieber, Vicki Waggoner, Linda Hyde, Wanda Baker, Ruth Root, Sara Zamarron, Edna Eaton, Barb Trefil, Janet Walker, Dorothy Cornwell, Pat Moore and LouAnn Myszak.
Their combined total years of service is pretty amazing – 299. That’s a whole lot of telephone calls (and now emails), and emergencies (real and imagined) coming in and out offices in buildings across the district – and, as one retiree laughingly noted “that was just by the staff, not counting students and parents!”
A quintet of retirees in attendance at the gathering lead the group in terms of longevity, each having served SJ Schools for over 30 years: LouAnn Myszak and Wanda Baker, both with 38 years; Vicki Waggoner, 33; Janet Walker, 32; and Barb Trefil, 31.
“We worked with students in many buildings over the years – every day was different,” Myszak says about the diversity of their positions in the district and the number of young lives they have impacted in a positive way. “Grown adults come up to me all the time and say their names, and talk about a situation they remember from when they were in school and say thank you. That happens to all of us here.”
It’s equally commonplace among current secretaries – the “still working old timers” whose years of service total is short of the retirees, but quite substantial.
“Current secretaries in the association have a combined total of 169 years,” Gorby says. “If you include their time working as SSPs which many also have been, it’s 210 total years.”
Current secretaries attending in addition to Gorby, Zampaloni and Weatherwax were Rhonda Gingrich, Mary Donald, Renee Lewis, Sheila Waggoner, Bernadette Hayes, Mistie McKane, Stephanie Kingsbury and Mary Beth Adams-Rosenbaum.
Whether they’re retired or still working, all the secretaries agree there’s one element that’s a top priority – students and their well-being. “You have to love kids and be like a mother to them when they need it,” Baker says.
Moore recalls another ingredient to secretarial success that was essential during her career, particularly for teachers and staff members. “I had a candy dish on my desk that was popular,” she says with a smile about her sweet treats. “They loved it.”
No doubt about it, the “Redwing Secretarial Sisterhood” is very special.