On a campus serving many students, there are countless matters constantly needing attention, from student guidance to teacher resources. The administrative and counseling staff attend to these needs in a cooperative manner in order to ensure efficiency in a fast paced and dynamic work environment such as a high school.
“We get along splendidly. The staff is super close, we know each other well, we listen to each other [and] support each other,” Assistant Principal Collin Fletcher said. “It takes a special kind of crazy to work in a high school for a living, to work with 2500 teenagers as a choice, so we really lean on each other a lot.”
Problem solving is a large part of staff’s jobs, which often entails tricky but valuable experiences. While they might be challenging to overcome, they bring the staff closer together among themselves and among their students.
“I don’t know another job where if you see a kid who’s struggling you can talk to them and change their whole day around and help them.”Assistant Principal Delhi Golden said.“For example, the students on graduation day last year whose hands I shook and I was like ‘oh my god- you were my student’ or ‘you struggled last year and I didn’t even think you were gonna make it to this point but we did it together’.”
Despite having their own specialty and field, relationships and interconnectedness are the essence of the staff. However, a large amount of school operations rely on students. Fletcher shares a word to the student body as he reflects on his work as an administrator.
“Here’s one thing that I will ask of student readers: cut us a break every now and then. We were high school students once, we get it.”Fletcher said. “Sometimes we have to redirect kids and get on kids’ cases to make sure that they’re going to class and that they’re making good decisions for themselves. All of this is done out of compassion and care for kids.”
Furthermore, the staff also meets outside of school to bond separately. Working together in the way that a high school requires takes coordination and cooperation, which are built up during professional development days that are sometimes amusing, including food and games.
”During the days that [students] have off we do a lot of [professional development] centered around team building like building relationships with each other so that we work better together,” Counselor Rebecca Ramirez said. “During the summertime we did funny things like getting together with people we don’t know and building a structure out of noodles and marshmallows.”
However, these days are not the only times where the staff meets outside of school. They have occasional get-togethers, including holiday parties that Principal Charlie Little hosts, comedy shows, baseball games or even just going out to eat.Beyond sharing an interest in education and student success, staff members share many personal interests as well.
“Me and Mr. Fletcher, we have fine arts backgrounds so we like to talk about musicals and sometimes you can catch myself and [him] singing stuff in the hallways.” Assistant Principal Becky Azard-Jackson, said. “[We sing] broadway 60s, 70s, anything. Mr. Fletcher and I have that in common, we both like to sing. Anytime there’s a staff member with a birthday, we sing happy birthday.”
Apart from who they are at work, each staff member has their own unique background and pastimes.
“Everyday I get home, I get my dog, and we go on a trail where I don’t have to put the leash on her and I listen to my Grateful Dead music and it allows me to kind of let go of everything that happened that day and chill out.” Assistant Principal Parrish McEwen said. “I like being outdoors as much as possible when it’s not too hot, listening to my music, and hanging out with my family”
Humans have a natural tendency to connect with one another and make themselves at home in a place they feel comfortable. For Vandegrift, this happens to be a large drive for the staff that oils the gears of day-to-day operations. Students often only see who the admin and counseling staff are at work, and fail to identify the human in them.
“It takes a lot of flexible thinking and a lot of nuance when we are solving problems and helping people or addressing situations.” Fletcher said. “All the people I get to work with have that creative, flexible thinking mindset and it leads to really fun, engaging and worthwhile work experiences, and also fantastic conversations.”
