Change has swept through EHS whether students notice or not.

EHS’s secretarial staff has had a lot of changes in positions. Some have switched offices while others are new to the building all together. Five secretaries switched positions, and three new ones joined the staff.

“I think it’s very interesting how our school staff changes positions so often yet they still maintain the flow of the school,” Katie Rinkenberger (12) said.

In the past 15 years there has never been so many changes, according to Mrs. Laura Bradford, the new receptionist.

Among the many changes, the Welcome Center is now home to just Mrs. Bradford. Attendance, previously centralized in the Welcome Center, has moved to its own office across from the Main Office.

Mrs. Bradford, formerly the attendance secretary, decided to apply for reception this year when the position opened up. She was already familiar with the job since, alongside her duties as the attendance secretary, Mrs. Bradford helped the former receptionist every now and then. After 15 years she was ready for something different.

“I was excited when I found out I would be switching positions,” Mrs. Bradford said. “I’m thrilled. I have a smile on my face, and I will all year long.”

A smiling face on support staff sets the tone of the building since these employees are the first staff students and visitors often encounter.

“The secretaries are smiling, nice and they always know what’s going on,” Racheal Yergensen (11) said.

Smiling in her new role as attendance secretary, Mrs. Kathy Beeson, formerly a LaSalle Springs Middle School cafeteria worker, is now located in room 726.

“I think this year will be fun. The staff and the students here are really nice,” Mrs. Beeson said. “It’s a great campus, and I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody.”

Mrs. Cindy Stortz, current college specialist secretary, also switched after being the guidance secretary last year.

“I was very excited when I found out I would be switching because I’ve had this position before,” Mrs. Stortz said. “I loved working for Mr. Jeff Buckman, and I really enjoyed working with the seniors. I’m glad to be back.”

Filling in the position of guidance secretary is Mrs. Theresa Esslinger.

“I love it,” Mrs. Esslinger said. “Specifically, I love the office that I’m in and all the people that are in here. They welcomed me into the high school and the office, which makes is really nice when going into a new job.”

After Mrs. Betty Loudon moved from the sophomore office to the junior office, Mrs. Katie Melies took her place as the new sophomore secretary.

“Working here so far has been awesome,” Mrs. Melies said. “My coworkers and secretaries have been extremely supportive and helpful. The teachers have been great and so has my boss. In addition, the kids are the most polite kids I’ve been around.”

Initially, Mrs. Loudon was reluctant to leave her long-standing position.

“At first I was uncertain about it because I had been in the main office for 19 years,” Mrs. Loudon said. “Coming to this little office has taken some adjusting to.”

The main reason behind Mrs. Loudon switching was Mr. Brad Klages requested that she follow him to his new position in the junior office. She was his secretary since he started as a principal two years ago.

“She does anything and everything I ask her to do. More than that, she lets me know things that I’ve either forgotten about or didn’t even know about,” Mr. Klages said. “When I found out I was moving, I was hoping she could move with me.”

The previous junior secretary, Mrs. Tori Glatt, has moved to the senior office after Mrs. Cindy Hirsch switched to be the activities secretary.

“I’m really excited about my new position this year because I moved over with the same class of kids who are now seniors,” Mrs. Glatt said. “So I’m going to see them go through the right of passage of graduation.”

Although Mrs. Hirsch loved the senior office for the eight years she worked there, she decided to move to the activities office.

“I always wanted work in athletics,” Mrs. Cindy Hirsch said. “I’m a big sports nut. I like the hustle and the bustle, but I loved the 12th grade, too. Although I was ready for a change, it was hard switching because I like Mr. Dan Thoman, and we worked well together.”

Even with all the changes this year, the staff remains hardworking and continues to collaborate.

“In a lot of other places if you were to switch positions that quickly, the productivity would just come to a stop,” Rinkenberger said. “The fact that our staff can interchange positions seamlessly says a lot about them as a whole and our school.”