Front Office Team: A Day in the Life

Front office A day front office team in the lifeMarburn’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. 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

12:00 P.M.

At noon, the second of two Evelyns arrives as Evelyn Rivera steps in to help cover front office responsibilities. There is always someone ready to greet guests at the front desk! In addition to supporting the team in the main office, Evelyn Rivera supports the Extended School Day Program (EDSP) and also assists with projects assigned to her from Associate Head of School, Jennifer Martin-Gledhill and Academic Dean, Liesl Huenemann. Evelyn Rivera might be found getting packets of flash cards with letter sounds ready for summer school one day, entering testing data on another, or helping manage the relationship with the photographer for school pictures the next.

2:00 P.M.

During the afternoon hours, students filter through the front office in search of bottled water, pencils, or to see one of the nurses. The front desk team also manages student traffic to and from the health clinic all day long. Nurses Katie Talbott and Stacy Baumeyer share the clinic near the front office of the school. They manage everything from distributing prescriptions to bee stings and upset stomachs. School nurses are a critical part of the front office team - especially during the 2020-2021 school year as they were part of the contact tracing process when anyone in the building presented with COVID-19 symptoms.

3:00 P.M.

Activity in the entire school escalates as students move toward their dismissal destinations. Every day, Diane provides a bus dismissal list to faculty and staff supporting students who ride the bus. In order to create the list, Diane must track all dismissal changes that affect bus riders - whether they’re riding home with a friend or if a grandparent is picking them up. CurbSmart, Marburn’s digital dismissal system, is also updated daily by Diane for all caregiver pickups and carpools, and she connects with teachers daily so they’re aware of any changes in dismissal for all students, including student drivers or if a student is staying for an after-school activity.

3:30 P.M.

Marburn’s Extended School Day Program (ESDP) starts once students who are picked up at dismissal have exited the building. Evelyn Rivera assists the ESDP instructor, Janet Spigos, by escorting students to their cars when families arrive for pick-up, keeping them safe as they exit the school and head home with their caregivers.

Evelyn Kelley-Antoine answers phones on a busy morning.

4:30 P.M.

Diane and Linda typically wrap up and head home by 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. each day while Evelyn Kelley-Antoine and Evelyn Rivera stay until 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. respectively. They both continue to help students with dismissal from ESDP and answer any late-day calls that may come in.

6:00 P.M.

Some evenings the activity ramps up again with events like Free Community Parent Seminars or school sports like basketball. Evelyn Rivera typically wraps up her day at 6:00 p.m. but sometimes stays to cover the front door and greet guests who may be arriving for any after school activities.

Marburn is fortunate to have such a dedicated team to be the first friendly faces people see as they enter the building. The support of the front office staff is part of what represents the culture of the school as a welcoming community. While this is an overview of a typical day, there are so many additional tasks not listed here - setting up all students and families in CurbSmart, collecting and managing more than 1,300 forms submitted by families each year, ordering supplies, and scheduling meetings. Not to mention the unexpected situations like if a bus breaks down and parents need to be notified.

The front office team is critical to the success of Marburn Academy, and they provide an environment where everyone who walks in the door feels welcomed and safe. Next time you’re in the front office, be sure to thank them for all the hard work they do every day to support each person who enters the building.

If you stop to chat, they might even have an extra piece of candy to share with you. Or perhaps they’ll put on another fresh pot of coffee!

Evelyn Rivera verifies information in student files to support the administrative team.