Office life might seem synonymous with neatly-planned schedules, organized paperwork and days unfolding exactly as expected. In the main office, however, predictability rarely lasts past the first bell. For five years, Office Manager Jennifer Vaninetti (she/her) has navigated her days through organized chaos.
“However you feel like your day is going to go, it will absolutely not go that way,” Vaninetti said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that we have teachers in classrooms, so the mornings are definitely chaotic, trying to get the substitute to walk in, get them set up, get them ready for their day.”
Vaninetti said that once the morning rush for classroom coverage ends, she finds peace in the office staff’s routine work. Her routine responsibilities include providing general support for administration, answering questions, taking phone calls and sending out emails. Even then, she said the staff are always kept on their toes.
“Anything can happen. You can have an emergency of some sort. You can have an issue arise. You can have teachers needing to leave. You can have budget issues, district situations,” Vaninetti said. “So finding those moments of just zen with my coffee is my favorite part of the day.”
Sometimes, the unpredictability of the job becomes the highlight of her day — or even her year. Vaninetti said that one of the most memorable incidents from the office staff’s running list of funny moments involves a stray cat on campus. Last year, during a fire drill, a peer educator found a cat hiding in the bushes. The office staff decided to bring it into the office.
“She was so hungry, she was so cute and — long story short — she now lives with me,” Vaninetti said. “Her name is Boo the Disco Cat, and my kids love her.”
This spontaneity of a school environment is what drew Lesley Clawson (she/her) to her role as ASB Secretary. After 15 years working as an accountant — a job accompanied with heavy workloads and overbearing pressures — Clawson wanted to transition to a position where she could apply her skills in a more positive environment.
“I feel like every day, there’s at least one student, one family, one sports team, one club that I really did something important and positive for them. I’m happy to drive to work every morning — it never feels like a burden to be here,” Clawson said. “You just have to listen to the universe sometimes, because you’ll end up where you need to be, even if it’s not the path you expect to take.”
Clawson’s daily responsibilities include posting fees for classes, managing fundraisers and helping families navigate payment processes. Out of everything, her favorite task is to create spreadsheets that can be used for more complex calculations.
“I’m obsessed with spreadsheets. I have a mug all about spreadsheets. So if I can help solve something by creating a spreadsheet, or I can get data better organized by using a spreadsheet, that is probably my favorite thing to do,” Clawson said. “I have at least 12 spreadsheets open at any moment — tracking different field trips — tracking different sporting fundraisers, that sort of thing.”
At the front-facing window of the main office, Attendance Secretary Michele Bergley (she/her) shares the same keenness for organization. Even before stepping foot into her office, she begins a productive morning with an agenda in her planner from the night before, some music and a cup of coffee.
“I absolutely love coming in and getting my day set up and listening to the voicemails and just getting everything categorized for the day,” Bergley said. “I’m very organized, so when you walk in, everything’s ready.”
To manage attendance both at the computer and through a window that receives hundreds of visitors a day, Bergley relies on a daily planner system she developed over decades of working in management roles. After 27 years as a general manager at Nintendo and five years as IHS’s own kitchen manager, being an attendance secretary has been her most intense job yet.
“Your foot’s on the throttle all day. You’re being pulled in every direction imaginable, because there’s only one of me and 1,450 kids,” Bergley said. “Some days, my heart’s going, ‘oh my god, I’m not going to make it, I’m not going to make it,’ but I do, every day.”
Bergley’s student office TAs make the work both possible and more enjoyable. Between juggling two computer screens, phone calls and paperwork, she always strives to make everyone feel seen.
“I get a good realm of kids that I love to talk with every day,” Bergley said. “When they come in late, I try to give them that smile — they’re having a rough day already, who knows what happened at home? So I try to be that smile that they see.”
When in-person connection was cut during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bergley initiated the “Unicorn Project” as a way of bringing magic back to isolated students. After receiving permission from the superintendent, she gathered a team of four staff, including herself, and retrofitted vans with the goal of delivering all of the unused a la carte food to students.
“Unicorns were everything to us — it’s all about the magic,” Bergley said. “We had a tagline, and we were going to get a wrap done on the vans that had all of the high school mascots on it.”
The team planned to play the IHS fight song as they drove through neighborhoods to deliver coolers packed with a la carte food. However, because of an increase in COVID-19 restrictions, Bergley and her team were forced to let go of this dream.
“We had it all,” Bergley said. “Then COVID ramped up even harder, and they shut it down. I remember the looks on our faces when they said we can’t go through with it.”
Though the “Unicorn Project” never launched, Bergley’s passion for the school community remains the heart of her work. Bergley said she wouldn’t choose to work anywhere else.
“I love Inglemoor High School. The students are kinder, and it’s just an energy that flows through the administration, the teachers, counselors, the janitors, the kitchen,” Bergley said. “I call it the little polished turd because it’s the oldest school, but it has the most spirit. So my heart is here.”
