One of the characters in Michelle Jones’ favorite book, Fall on Your Knees (by Ann-Marie Macdonald) is St. Ambrose, the patron saint of school children. So in July 2005 when Michelle read the ad for office manager at our school (formerly located at St. Ambrose Church), her interest was piqued.
Though satisfied with her job at an entertainment law firm, she was looking to work with children. “After meeting Karin and Nancy, I walked away thinking, ‘I have to be a part of this!’” Ms. Newlin recalls, “When Michelle told us St. Ambrose had brought her here, I thought it was yet another good sign for the school.” But it was Michelle’s managerial skills that got her the job. “She is wonderful, nothing phases her, we work well together,” says Ms. Newlin. “She does the work of five people and I love that she is so put-together. She brings professionalism to our front office.” George Abrams, Board President, agrees. “Michelle’s experience as a manager and coordinator outside the education field is greatly appreciated. She applies real business practices and experiences to our context.”
As LFCSA’s office manager, Michelle is often the first person that visitors meet. Dependable, pleasant and helpful, she is unruffled by multi-tasking. The self-titled “go-to girl” tackles mundane matters like printer problems and phone calls as well as the more complex issues of school operations, staff schedules and records with equal dedication. “I feel as if I’m right in the middle of the whole thing. I deal with just about every single person you can in this school.”
But for her, the children are the best part of her job. “The kids are having a blast here. I don’t think they even realize how much they’re learning; they’re just so excited every day. When they’re sick, they come to me. When they’re in trouble, they come to me. They always come and say hi and bye. I love it.”
Dealing with kids and chaos comes naturally to the oldest of six siblings (she has four brothers and a sister). The family was raised on a ranch in Hesperia, surrounded by horses, cows, pigs and chickens. “After school, my friends and I would ride our horses through the riverbed till we saw the stars in the sky. I had an amazing childhood. We all had horses, it was always busy, not a quiet household!”
Today her household is quieter but urban life might just be busier. Michelle lives with her teenage son, Andre, and the workweek consists of a challenging job, early mornings and a long commute. So how does she get through each day and maintain her characteristic calm? “I believe in lists and routines. Every day I make lists of what I need to do at home, for Andre and here at school. As I go through my day, I keep checking off things on my yellow pad! Without that, I probably wouldn’t survive.”
Weekends with lots of naps, no driving and no lists are a way to recover. Mother and son are devoted to outdoor activities like biking, roller-blading, horseback riding and tennis. Michelle also enjoys reading, traveling and shopping for clothes that remind her of dress up time as a child! Don’t we all admire her sense of style as much as her organizational skills? As one student once said, “I love the way she dresses. Like a queen from her dress to her shoes.”
Perhaps this blend of whimsy, meticulousness, humor and business acumen from her ‘serious’ father and ‘free-spirited’ mother enables Michelle to handle her job with equanimity. She says proudly, “My mom is all about wearing dresses and being girly which is kind of hard to do when you’re on a ranch, building a fence. But she did it. She took care of all of us and she did it with a smile and in a dress.”
Sound familiar, everyone?
