All About Mrs. Downing
By: Baylee Knorr
When you think of the important people at DeKalb High School, your mind instantly goes to Mr. Lawson and Mr. Dittemore. Yes, they both play huge parts in how the school runs; however, staff members, like secretary Mrs. Downing, also make a big impact on how the school functions. Mrs. Downing, or Stacy as most of the students call her, has been a secretary for two years now; she was previously a para in the high school.
Managing the front desk at a school is a lot of work, especially with all of the responsibilities, but Stacy does a great job at staying on task and getting her work done. Her responsibilities include: putting lunch money in the student’s accounts, taking attendance, taking class dues, helping someone if they are sick, when Nurse Bessie isn’t available, and making sure no one crazy comes through the doors. The students go to Mrs. Downing for almost any of their needs. She is very trustworthy, and they know she will get everything done correctly.
Stacy’s presence is very important here at DeKalb High School, and she has enjoyed her time as here well. She said, “I have loved working here so far, because I love getting to work and interact with the kids and staff.” Her favorite time of the day is the morning. “It is when everyone comes in and I get to interact with them. I enjoy taking lunch money and writing out admit slips for the students,” she said. Stacy is a very energetic person, and it definitely shows when she is helping people in the mornings.
You might think that without a principal or superintendent our school wouldn’t function correctly, which is true, but without Mrs. Downing sitting at the front desk, we would have a lot of problems. There would be no one to keep track of money or attendance and there would be one less smiling face to greet students and staff in the mornings. Stacy keeps everyone on track, and our school would be at a big loss without her.