Written by  SOLEIL HERNANDEZ-AMARO

Graphics by SOLEIL HERNANDEZ-AMARO

//Schools consist of a basic anatomy similar to any other functioning organism. The beating heart could be seen as the students. The mind, possibly the beloved teachers. The tissue and muscles are comparable to the strength of the principal and administrators at her side. But the skeleton, the very foundation of the operation, would have to belong to the classified staff— the group of individuals that keep Las Lomas, at its very bones, operational.

The California Department of Education says that classified staff are “employees of a school, district, or county office of education who are in a position not requiring [teaching] certification.” On average, classified staff make up 40 percent of a school’s employees. Some examples of classified staff include custodians, technical support personnel, and cafeteria workers. Their presence in schools is not only wanted but needed for the preservation of an educational institution’s substructure.

Via interview, administrative secretary Raquel Ramos gives readers a look into what life might look like working in the main office of Las Lomas High School. Ramos has worked as an administrative secretary at Las Lomas for 3 years now and says that a typical day of work consists of receiving calls, handing out work permits, and assisting the vice principals. When asked about a favorite memory while working at Las Lomas, Ramos said how on her birthday the previous year, a group of students brought a guitar with them to school and serenaded her. Examples of kindness such as this one only elevate the character of Las Lomas students, as a whole. With the beating heart of Las Lomas at its strength, the school’s mutualistic exchange of respect can only fortify the bones it sits upon. 

Beyond the school’s office, the 200’s hall welcomes a new member to the Las Lomas tech support team, site technician Lucas Finn. With it being Finn’s first year at Las Lomas, when asked about his most notable experience so far, he says that he is limited in recollections but that the kickoff rally would have to be his finest. As a member of tech support, Lucas says that daily responsibilities include looking “at all of the requests that teachers have, help[ing] them fix whatever they need fixed,” and waiting for incoming student or teacher requests.

Getting to know the staff of Las Lomas holds a value that is rarely acknowledged— the ability to transcend the boundaries between students and staff, for that is where humanity lives and growth occurs. Las Lomas, as its own autonomous being, relies upon its many pupils, regardless of the part they play, for its survival. So that, even when the heart falters and its muscles give out, the skeleton stands sturdy, with planted feet on the ground.