Turning the Tables: Support for Our Support Staff
By Aidan Rodriguez
Every day, students show up to school and go to class often forgetting the hard-workers behind the scenes that make it all possible. The people in Owasso’s support staff are some of the kindest people to talk to, and they all genuinely care about kids. In fact, in all of my interviews, the only response to the question, “What is your favorite part of this job?” was “the kids.” This article, however, isn’t about the kids. This is about our amazing staff that keeps everything running smoothly.
Our kitchen staff does this job flawlessly. One woman who deserves much praise is Pat Sundberg. She does all of the paperwork for the cafeteria and works whenever she can in order to keep everything as efficient as possible. On top of that, she coordinates food for the East and West Campus, Ram Academy, as well as any virtual kids who are in need of food. And the thing keeping her going - an evident passion for kids.
Sundberg fondly tells a story recalling a student saying, “She’d come down for lunch every day, and if I was not standing out front, out there where she could see me, she would stand out there and holler for me until I came out. It didn’t matter what I was doing; I had to stop what I was doing, and [I] had to go out there and she would have to give me a hug every day...” Later on in the story, she explains that students were no longer allowed to hug unless it was family, and she responded with “Well, you just may as well consider me family…”
Michelle Blevins (left) and Tonya Crossland (right) packing lunches for students with smiles under their masks.
Tonya Crossland, another one of our kitchen staff, is new to Owasso, but she extends the same feeling towards kids. She’s a mother of three and also teaches English to Chinese kids, along with her job at OHS. With their shared sentiments about kids, both Tonya and Pat commend the family atmosphere that surrounds them in the kitchen.
Our crossing guards are another essential part of keeping our school running smoothly. There are over 22 crossing guards in Owasso, but the three that are most notable to us high school students are Judy Helman, Kay Fenrich, and Terry Layton. These are the guards responsible for all the crossings between the East and West campuses. As with the cafeteria staff, the crossing guards share a sense of family and a passion for kids. One of their favorite parts of their job is talking to kids even if it’s a simple ‘Have a good day!’ or ‘Hello.’ Another part of the job they enjoy is getting to be outside.
Kay Fenrich “stopping” for a photo
“As long as it’s not 112 or 6 degrees,” Kay Fenrich said with a laugh, “and we’re out here in both. So days like this,—about 70 degrees out, fairly sunny—it’s great.” As a message to the students, “Listen to us. We’re here to protect [you] and get [you] to [your] classrooms safely and get home safely. “
So next time you cross the street or eat in the cafeteria, take some time to show some support for our helpful staff. After all, they support you every step of the way.