A legacy of excellence from twice-retired school secretary
A legacy of excellence from twice-retired school secretary “I hope I was an asset and contributed to the education system here.”
By ALLAN TINKER
From a farm home south of Pickardville to the halls of McClusky High School, Marge Reule has been a fine example for students at the school during her two employments as the school secretary.
A soft spoken and intelligent woman, Marge admits she didn’t go on to school after high school graduation; an education something that she has gotten the hard way, through educating herself.
“I learned a lot,” she said of her school employment. She had to keep nine bus routes straight on paper, along with the student’s daily attendance. There was the hot lunch paperwork and activities accounting, and the telephone, always the telephone. When you call, she usually knows who you are; as she has been watching the generations pass through in front of her desk for many years.
The busiest time was when the McClusky Canal was built and 400 plus students attended. The building was expanded with a new section, and now the school has room to spare, with just a hundred students. The government workers on the canal brought in additional federal dollars for the school expansion. With all the children, the noon lunch was handled in shifts, with students eating in turn in the crowded facilities.
The families used to have eight or so children, also, she added. That made for a full bus on nearly every route, too. When one of her children, Joe, was in fifth grade, she recalled, there was two rooms of students. They also needed two science rooms at the high school, with two teachers.
The most challenging part of her work, she smiled, was the adjustment to new administrations and the changes in procedures and regulations over the years. She couldn’t think of any thing she didn’t like or found she couldn’t do. The best part of the job, besides watching the generations pass, was the first day of school and the kids all anxious in new clothes, growing a little each year.
