Faces of the ‘Ville

Q: What does a day look like for you? A: “I get up at 3:15 every morning because I have to start scheduling substitute teachers. For every one teacher that’s out, I have to pull six teachers to cover parts of their classes. When I have six teachers out and can’t find substitutes, I have to find 36 teachers to cover classes.” -Ms. Fitzgerald Q: What’s one of your biggest accomplishments? A: “I’m never absent. The first ten years that I worked here, I didn’t miss a day. Even when my daughter gave birth, I just came into school late.” -Ms. Fitzgerald Q: What’s your favorite part of your job? A: “Some of my favorite parts of my job [are] when I complete a job with accuracy or when I get to see and work with students.” -Ms. Fitzgerald

By: Alexis Mast

Junior Editor

George Hill, the Leesville security officer, has worked at Leesville for almost seventeen years and knows Leesville very well. Hill can be seen in the morning, during lunch, and in the afternoon during dismissal. The most hectic part of Hill’s workday is when the students are transitioning on and off campus. According to Hill, things look a little different at Leesville this year.

On a typical morning, Hillclocks in before Leesville students arrive. Hill greets the students as they enter the school. “The students have been very nice this year, and they don’t cause any problems in the morning,” said Hill. When lunch A and B are transitioning, Hill’s day gets more chaotic. “I gotta run down and put a sign up and then run back up and check passes,” said Hill. During the lunch periods, Hill is responsible for directing traffic and checking student’s off-campus passes, so he has to be in two places at once. “I’m constantly moving around at lunch. I have to be everywhere,” said Hill. Fortunately, the students this year haven’t caused many issues for him. If a student doesn’t have a real lunch pass when trying to enter the parking lot, then it is Hill’s job to handle the student. In the afternoon, Hill makes sure the traffic flow is under control. At 2:15 PM, Hill makes sure that cars don’t turn right into Leesville from Oneal Road while students are leaving campus. “I just make sure no one’s causing trouble and the students stay safe,” said Hill.

Out of the seventeen years Hill has been working at Leesville, the 2021-2022 school year has had the most concerning traffic. “The traffic can be backed up all the way to Leesville Road and the carpool line is crazy,” said Hill. Hill is amazed by how crazy the traffic has been before and after school. Leesville hasn’t been at full capacity since the 20192020 school year due to COVID-19. The full return of students at Leesville has sprung up high amounts of traffic. Due to the increased traffic this year, Hill explained that the students have been forced to drive more carefully. Hill has seen very few car accidents in

Leesville’s security officer, George, wanders Leesville’s campus every school day of the year. Just like any other administrator, George has many responsibilities and knows a lot about Leesville and its students. (PHOTO

COURTESY OF ALEXIS MAST)

the student lot and traffic line on Oneal Road. “The kids have to be more careful because of how bad it is this year,” said Hill. Hill spends his whole work day on Leesville High School’s campus, so students see him on a daily basis. He is typically outside monitoring the school, so he prefers warmer weather. “I like when the sun is out and it keeps my back warm,” said Hill. Hill is outside during all kinds of weather conditions, so he experiences all kinds of precipitation for the longevity of the day. The small things like a sunny day or a wave from a student can make his day better.

Hill enjoys Leesville and has positive things to say about the high school students every time he is asked about them. When Hill said in February of 2017, he said the Leesville students were great, just as they are every year. Hill has the same positive thoughts on Leesville students four years later. “The students are good this year, as always,” said Hill. Hill’s face is familiar to everyone at Leesville, but his story and his daily routine extend far beyond what students can see.

Scan the QR code to watch members of our newspaper staff interview George to learn more. Please make sure to thank Geroge for all his hard work and dedication to our community.

By: Emma Nani

Staff Writer Ever wonder who is the voice behind narrating almost all sports games at Leesville? That man is Ed Hughes, a Leesville parent who has committed his time to Pride athletics since 2011. Hughes grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and has always been surrounded by sports. His father played lacrosse, resulting in the game being one of his favorite sports to announce. In 2011, the original JV football announcer was absent. Coaches asked Hughes to fill in, and he has grown to fill several announcing positions. After that fall 2011 football season, Jack Rogers, Leesville’s Athletic Director, offered the opportunity for Hughes to be the first men’s and women’s basketball announcer. As the year progressed, Hughes also began to announce men’s and women’s lacrosse and then soccer at Paul Dinkenor’s request. Just this fall, Hughes picked up Varsity football too. Looking back to when he first began, Hughes noticed an increase in attendance in games like soccer. Football has always been a popular sport at Leesville, but “There has been more attendance at the non-football sports…[football has] been filtering down to sports like soccer and lacrosse,” said Hughes. He made sure to emphasize that “women’s sports are way unattended, and it’s just kind of criminal,” said Hughes. Hughes said that the women’s sports are just as good, and he hopes more people will come out and support. Hughes is retiring at the end of October from SAS and will continue to be Leesville’s sports announcer. “Sports is my life,” he said. Ed Hughes’ contribution to Pride Athletics takes Leesville’s sports games to a new level, and the community continues to appreciate his role at Leesville.

Q: What does a day at work look like for you? A: “My day is usually pretty busy. I do things from moving around to checking things to keeping Leesville nice and clean. I just want to make sure that Leesville is looking good and presentable all school day long.” -Colette Bryd Q: What is your favorite part of your job? A: “I love working with people and coming in contact with students. Seeing smiles is my favorite part. Any smile brightens my day. I enjoy seeing people work together to get through the day and acting like a team.” -Colette Byrd Q: Who is Collette Byrd to you? A: “Collette is passionate about her job, she’s aways kind, and she keeps Leesville looking its best. I enjoy talking to her when I seeher in the hallways. Her positivity and smile brightens the school each and everyday.” -Ms. Winick, Apparel and Textile Production Teacher

Q: What does a work day look like for you? A: “As Leesville’s cafeteria manager, I serve breakfast and lunch to the students everyday. Part of my job is making sure that the lunch lines are running efficiently, so I see some of the same students for both breakfast and lunch.” -Jennifer Buck Q: What do you enjoy seeing at Leesville? A: “I enjoy seeing the same students from breakfast at lunch time. I enjoy seeing how the kids are throughout the day and keeping up with them. I also like when I say “have a great day” and students respond with “you too.” -Jennifer Buck Q: What are your thoughts on the lunch staff? A: “The lunch ladies are really nice and always have a smile on their face. They never forget to say ‘have a good day,’ which is a simple act of kindness that I always enjoy.” -anonymous

Q: What does a work day look like for you? A: “My day is very busy; I do things from answering the phone and door, to questions from students.” -Ms. Millie Q: What’s a small act of kindness that brighten your day? A: “I always enjoy when students come in and say hi to me during my day.”-Ms. Millie Q: What are your exchanges like with Ms. Millie? A: “Every time that I didn’t have a mask and went to the office to grab one, she was always so nice to me. Seeing her puts a smile on my face.” -Luke Lovic, Leesville junior Q: Does she brighten the atmosphere in the office? A: “Yes; she’s a great person to walk into first thing in the morning.” -Luke Lovic, Leesville junior

Q: What’s a simple act of kindness that brightens your day? A: “I think it’s easy to take for granted the things in life we can do without even thinking about it – walking, talking, using our arms and legs. I quickly learned that the population I have the pleasure of working with is not any different than typical students, as far as wants and needs. They want and need to: have and make new friends, be accepted by their teachers and peers, know that they are appreciated and cared about, express themselves, and simply feel safe and enjoy their life. Each morning I have 9 students walk into my classroom laughing and smiling from ear to ear, not allowing everything else going on in the world to bother them. They are just happy to be alive and well. Each morning, I am reminded, 9 times, to approach the day with the same attitude and outlook on life!” -Mr. Muffley Q: How does Mr. Muffley make an impact on the Leesville football team? A: “Muffley is a funny coach, and he is all about his players. His main goal is making his players better everyday.” -Gabe Sherman, Junior on Leesville’s Football Team

By: Alexis Mast

Junior Editor

Wendy Dragone is a Leesville media specialist who passionately directs and engages students through their reading experiences. “It’s fun because it’s always different,” said Dragone. Someday’s she can see up to 16 different classes for freshman orientation and other days she sorts book orders and catalogs books. Dragone works with everyone from students, to teachers, to administrators. “My favorite part of my job is when a student comes back to tell me about a book that I recommended,” said Dragone. Dragone’s passion is reading and spreading that passion to students “is so rewarding.” Dragone also enjoys building relationships with teachers. “Seeing a happy teacher brightens my day all the time,” said Dragone Ms. Hendricks, a Leesville English teacher, enjoys talking to Dragone about books. “She’s very personable and helpful to students with research and assignments,” said Hendricks. “She’s extremely helpful and always accommodating to the teachers,” said Hendricks. With Dragone’s help, Hendricks always has a smooth experience when she goes to the media center. Ms. Dragone’s dedication to her job enlightens new readers and brightens teachers’ days.