Written By: Sarah Mears
Guyer High School will honor administrative professionals on April 24th to show the valued staff appreciation. Administrative Professionals Day is a day that celebrates administrative assistants. Administrative professionals include staff such as secretaries and receptionists, who keep the office running smoothly every day.
Here at Guyer, students, staff, and the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) work to appreciate these important workers on our campus. An administrative professional/assistant is a person who provides administrative assistance in their workplace.
Freshman office receptionist Cristana Carson is one valuable staff member at our school. She stated, “I’ve been at Guyer for eight years. My main job is to make sure student attendance is coded correctly.” Carson works hard to keep the front office running and communicate with students and parents. “I enjoy working with people, and the front office staff is easy to work with and it makes my job and theirs easier when we all get along. The most challenging part is when it becomes hectic when three or four things happen at once and I am needed at the same time. Also, when I can’t bend policy rules even when I sometimes disagree with them,” she says.
Although Guyer does not have any specific large celebrations for Administrative Professionals Day, there are many opportunities to recognize all staff members, including administrative assistants. In May, Guyer PTSA celebrates Staff Appreciation Week, providing staff with meals and prizes as a testament to their work all year long.
Kelly Mears, a PTSA member, says “Guyer PTSA tries to make sure that every staff member is recognized. We provide meals and snacks, and do some raffles with gift cards.”
Winter holiday staff appreciation dessert table, December 2023 (Photo Credits to Guyer PTSA)
Between secretaries and receptionists at Guyer, there are lots of things to be done. Receptionists handle the hard tasks involving checking students in and out, manning the doors, and helping whoever comes through the front office. They, as well as secretaries, have to keep track of lots of different important pieces of information such as enrollment records and other student information. Overall they work very hard to keep the school moving.
Administrative Professionals Day goes back decades, although up until 1998, it was called Secretaries Day. In the US, there are over 300 million secretaries and other administrative assistants in the workforce.
Without these vital professionals at our school, we would have a lot of things to tackle with little help. Alot of people in the school, such as principals, teachers, and especially students, rely on these staff. This is what makes administrative assistants so important to any work environment.
Copy edited by: Hilary Villatoro