Carla Stewart plays a vital role in Will Carleton Academy’s daily success. Her title may be Administrative Assistant and Testing Coordinator, but her work plays a huge role in achieving Will Carleton Academy’s goals. You can often find her behind the scenes completing tasks and ensuring all details are completed so that the Will Carleton Academy community thrives.
From running the enrollment process to taking kids temperatures, she always has a smile on her face. She is always striving to create a positive environment for learning. She works side-by-side with Colleen Vogt, Director at WCA, and together they often tackle issues that come along.
Learn more about Carla’s responsibilities and drive for student success below.
How many years have you worked at Will Carleton Academy?
I started 22 years ago as a parent volunteer when the school was first opened. After that, I became a substitute teacher for 10 years before starting full time in the office six years ago.
What does an office staff job look like at Will Carleton Academy?
Our job is to support the students, parents, teachers and administrators in every way possible. This means handing out ice packs, taking temperatures, recording infractions and calling for forgotten homework or PE shoes.
For parents, a Monday Mailer is sent out each week with information regarding upcoming events involving academics, sports and parent forum activities. We schedule parent/teacher conferences, call about absent students and answer parent questions both in person and on the phone.
For teachers, copies are made, outgoing communications are proofread, reminders are given about due dates and any other support requested is provided.
We do our best to make our Director’s life as smooth as possible. We schedule appointments, take messages, keep the SIS up-to-date and complete any projects as directed.
What does a typical day look like for you?
There is no such thing as a typical day!!
Are there other office staff at your Will Carleton Academy?
Yes, there is one other administrative assistant, Chelsi Dryer. We try to be cross-trained as much as possible so that each of us can do aspects of each other’s positions to help out when needed.
Chelsi primarily takes care of accounts payable and receivable as well as serves as our MCIR and McKinney-Vento representative. Also, her desk is the first desk as my responsibilities often take me out of the office. Therefore, she does most of the parent and student contact when they first enter the office.
I take care of attendance, count day, ordering, testing, any payroll or human resources questions and I am the first resource for computer/technology issues. I am the testing coordinator which means that I organize and proctor our testing. I am also a certified sub so I will cover when teachers have a meeting or a sub cannot be found.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
When students are happy and excited to see me both in school and out.
What is the biggest challenge?
At times, it can be daunting to know all the answers to any question about every aspect of school life. Also, ensuring that no balls are dropped as often many different responsibilities and tasks are happening all at once.
Give me an example of how you have contributed to a student having success at Will Carleton Academy.
I think the greatest success that I contributed to was a new student who came to Will Carleton Academy and had been sent home almost daily from his previous school due to behavior issues. During his first few months at our school, he spent a lot of time in the office. But, by the end of the school year, he would stop in the office just to say “hi” as we did not see him under any other circumstances. It was so awesome to see him grow and understand our school culture. He gained respect for it and all of us.