Even though Gail Dennis is starting her fourth electronic student management system and she has worked with nearly a dozen counselors in 16 years, her mission never changes.
“I am security to the kids, a warm face,” Dennis said recently. Dennis was named USD 308 Classified Employee of the Year for 2012-13.
Dennis began as the counseling secretary at Hutchinson High School in 1997 after having worked in the oil field business. When she saw the job opening at HHS, it was attractive to her. In her former job, she felt she was missing something. A mother with four sons, she had worked with young people through youth groups and 4-H. It was something she enjoyed.
“I like the fact the students are creative, but they are human,” she said. “They are learning and have a high thirst for knowledge. Not all that knowledge, though, comes from a book.”
As students enter high school, they come from an environment in which most decisions are made for them. With the independence of high school comes new lessons – some easy, others not so easy. Dennis sees her students learning manners, respect for others and other critical life skills.
“I love to see the maturity,” she said. “I get to see kiddoes come in here as freshmen. You see them change and mature and at a point you just go ‘wow’ at all the growing they’ve done.”
She also loves seeing her students in the community. Often students will seek her out when they see her in stores, just to say “hello.”
Her 16-plus years on the job have taught her to read her students, though.
“I am the one who they see first,” she said. “Many times, I’ll have a student walk up, tears streaming down his face. I’ll take them into a room – I am that warm person to them.”
While the students are a constant, the technology has changed. When she first started, everything was done on paper. When a student wanted to change a class, it required both a “drop” card to be filled out and an “add” card to be completed.
Computers have replaced the card system. Additionally, much of enrollment is done online now. Dennis and other staff are in the midst of changing to Skyward from PowerSchool.
But the human factor always will be important.
Education is a key element of Dennis’ family. Her husband, Danny Dennis, is director of maintenance for USD 309 Nickerson/South Hutchinson. Her brother-in-law, David Dennis, recently retired as a member of the Kansas State Board of Education.
Dennis was one of 13 nominees for the district Classified Employee of the Year. Other nominees were Darryl Ammons, Tina Angel, Lynn Booth, Jamie Brown, Susan Chaney, Lisha Collins, Mary Ann Kelley, Jamie Light, Cathy Nolan, Candy Reeves, Tamara Stanley and Robin Traffas.
Three finalists were interviewed – Dennis, Brown and Reeves – with Dennis being named the Classified Employee of the Year.