COMMUNICATION
Front office
front office team
A day in the
life
Marburn’s front office team from left to right: Linda Welch, Diane Sumen, Evelyn Rivera, and Evelyn Kelley-Antoine.
Marburn Academy’s front office team, under the direction of Leigh Hill, consists of four professionals who support the front desk, as well as two nurses. The entire team is committed to the mission of the school to support students who learn differently. Their combined experience of more than 40 years at Marburn shows their dedication to their careers and how they take the job of creating a welcoming environment at Marburn seriously. Here, get a glimpse into a typical day in Marburn’s front office and understand the nuance of what it takes to maintain order in one of the most active areas of the school. Diane works with Associate Head of School, Jennifer Martin-Gledhill, on transportation changes.
7:00 A.M.
The first low hum of activity kicks in at Marburn when daybreak is new and Administrative Assistant Linda Welch arrives. She sets her belongings on her desk and heads to the staff kitchen to make the first of three pots of coffee for the morning.
7:15 A.M.
Administrative Assistant, Diane Sumen, arrives shortly after Linda. The two of them start each morning answering phone calls and checking voicemails and emails from caregivers about students who have doctor appointments, are sick, or have changes to their transportation for that particular day. They also field calls from faculty and staff who may be running late or need someone to cover their duties for the day. In addition, Diane works with parents and the transportation departments of school districts who provide bussing at Marburn to manage any bussing issues or changes.
7:30 A.M.
Students start arriving and the phone calls keep coming—a student left a lunch box on the bus, a bus is running late, doctor appointments, car won’t start, grandparent is picking up a student today, and a long list of other unexpected things. While there are many moving parts to manage, it’s important to account for all students who are in the building for safety reasons and to ensure students are meeting state requirements for attendance.
8:00 A.M.
As Front Office Assistant, Evelyn Kelley-Antoine ar11 Marburn Magazine 2021
rives to help manage passes for students arriving late, Diane heads to her office to work on other projects or handle issues that may have popped up in the morning rush as well as continue to field phone calls and emails regarding transportation for the day. Evelyn also answers phone calls to support current families, connect potential families to our Admission team, and help students who are arriving late or leaving early. In addition to her work at the front desk, Evelyn Kelley-Antoine assists with projects that support the entire school, such as field day preparations, and coordinating items for Senior Dinner.
10:00 A.M.
By 10:00 a.m., Diane has made another pot of coffee as Linda works to provide the entire faculty and staff with a daily document that notifies everyone in the school about which students are absent, arrived late, or will be leaving early. During the 2020-2021 school year, tracking student attendance and locations became increasingly complicated as some students learned remotely the entire year while others shifted between remote and in-person learning due to a variety of factors, including COVID-19 exposure, quarantine, and illness.
10:30 A.M.
Lunch deliveries start rolling in at Marburn early as the first students head to lunch at 10:40 a.m. Jimmy Johns and other local restaurant delivery services typically stop by the school three to four times every day to deliver ordered lunches from students, faculty, and staff. The front office staff manages all deliveries at the entrance to the building and welcomes any
