As teenagers, we tend to take for granted what we have and how much people pour into
our lives. We overlook the teachers who want to teach us about life, not just textbooks;
the parents who show up to every game, play, or competition, getting teary-eyed after
every big accomplishment and always picking us up when things don’t turn out how we
wanted; the crossing guards who show up every morning to make sure we are safe and
always tell us to have a good day; and the bus drivers who always say good morning,
knowing they will most likely not get a response.
I think as kids we can forget just how much people do and care for us. If we take a step
back, we might just realize how much we truly mean to them, and appreciate everything
they do for us and our community.
“With all of the ‘Good Morning’s and ‘Have a good days that usually get no response or
nothing more than a grunt or two, my drivers continue to do it because when they finally
get a ‘Good Morning’ or ‘You too’ from the student, even if it’s just one, it makes their
day and was well worth saying it,” Transportation Director Summer Bilski said.
The thing that stands out to me the most is how they all dedicate some part of their lives
to ours to make sure we become good people, are successful, or are even just happy.
They never expect us to realize just how much they do, or appreciate them for the role
they play in our lives, no matter how vital it is.
Lakeland High School custodian Cathy Fahrmeyer views her role exactly this way.
“I just think it’s really important and we ultimately do it for the health and safety of all the
kids,” she said.
Our janitors are at the school before half of us are probably even awake, cleaning
classrooms, restocking supplies, vacuuming, and handling the countless
behind-the-scenes tasks that keep our building running smoothly. From setting up the
gym for assemblies and clearing cafeteria spills to ensuring our hallways are safe and
sanitized, they manage the physical heartbeat of our school. They transform a
high-traffic building into a clean, welcoming environment ready for learning every single
day.
“It’s satisfying to look back on the room you just cleaned and know you did a good job,”
Cathy Fahrmeyer said.
Every student’s journey here at Lakeland High School is unique, yet we often blind
ourselves to the common people and shared factors that quietly impact us all.
Alongside our custodians, another group of people who quietly impact our daily lives are
our lunch ladies.
Robinn Schedin has worked at the high school for several years. She has been a
dependable lady for many kids coming and going through high school without them
even realizing it. Our lunch ladies start their day long before the lunch bell rings. They
have to prepare meals, chop ingredients, balance hundreds of meals, and once that is
done and lunch actually begins, they run registers and try to get kids through the system
as fast as possible so they can give them the most amount of time possible to eat. Once
lunch is over, they clean and get prepared to do it all again the next day. Yet, their
impact goes far beyond the food on the tray; as a constant, reassuring presence in the
daily lives of our students, they serve up kindness and care, ensuring that every
teenager is nourished, respected, and ready to learn.
“It goes way beyond food, it’s about caring and making someone feel like they care,”
Schedin said.
There are a lot more people than we realize who work behind the scenes to make small
things in our lives happen.
Kelsie Badger is the Director of Special Education, is currently filling in as Assistant
Superintendent, and is the head Varsity volleyball coach. Most days, she works closely
with teachers, administrators, students, and families to ensure that students receiving
special education services are getting the support they need to be successful. A large
part of her role involves ensuring that our schools are meeting state and federal
requirements related to special education. She also collaborates with staff to solve
problems, provide guidance, support student needs, and help create positive learning
environments where all students can thrive. After long workdays—regardless of whether
they went smoothly or were filled with setbacks—she consistently shows up for the
volleyball team, investing her time and energy into developing her players’ skills. Yet,
the most overlooked aspect of her role is that coaching demands far more than just a
three-month commitment out of the year. Her dedication never truly stops; she is
already planning and preparing for the following season before the current one even
concludes.
“To me, it means showing up consistently for students, even when they may not realize
the impact at the time. Many educators, coaches, counselors, administrators and
support staff work behind the scenes to create opportunities, solve problems, and
advocate for students,” Badger said. “The greatest reward is knowing that something
you did helped a student feel supported, gain confidence, or achieve a goal even if they
never know all the work that went into it.”
Summer Bilski, the Director of Transportation, also has a mountain of responsibilities.
Her day is flooded with emails that need resolving, answers to operational questions,
and scheduling inquiries. Between handling complaints about bus stops and safety to
navigating student situations alongside school principals, she is constantly replying to
someone. She coordinates extensively with athletic directors, coaches, and teachers to
schedule field trips and sports travel—a puzzle that requires constant adjustments.
Because the transportation department is short on drivers, trying to schedule these
extra trips using regular route drivers takes an immense amount of time. Bilski is up by
4:00 AM every morning to handle the scheduling for the entire department. Anytime a
driver or aide calls out sick at that early hour, she has to call available substitutes to get
the routes covered. On top of that, she manages strict state reporting deadlines,
oversees a staff of 50 people with unique personalities, and runs purchase orders for
everything from bus parts to office supplies.
Her weekly meetings with mechanics, office staff, and district administration frequently
pull her away from her desk, and parent-principal conferences are a constant fixture on
her calendar. Because the district is so short-handed, Bilski and her office staff
frequently have to step out from behind their desks to drive the buses themselves.
When she is behind the wheel, her mountain of administrative work has to wait for a day
she isn’t driving. There are always unexpected “wrenches” thrown into the
transportation schedule, but they push on anyway.
“I choose to do this job because I care about the kids and their safety in this District and
I love the people I work with, who make all the difference in my world,” Bilski said.
Many people don’t understand or realize how much others invest in them until the
moment is over. Moments like not having to take the bus anymore because you finally
got your own car, and now a little part of you misses the routine “good mornings.” When
you get a job and have your own money so you decide not to get school hot lunches
anymore, and now all of a sudden you miss the friendly smile and “have a good day’s”
the lunch lady always gave you.
Little acts of kindness are often taken for granted until they are no longer present.
Every year seniors experience this intimately with not only the people who usually go
unnoticed but with everyone who played a role in their high school career.
“Leaving high school behind soon makes me realize how important and valuable my
connections are with my classmates and teachers,” Karstyn Kiefer said, “I appreciate all
of my teachers and coaches more now that I’m leaving. They have put so much time
into my life and really care for me.”
In high school we all long for that sense of freedom and independence, but once this is
achieved the nostalgia sets in. Some stay close to home and some make it across the
country, but either way, the mornings become quieter, lunches from home or a foreign
campus become a little more secluded, and the community you’ve been surrounded
with since kindergarten slowly fades to the background.
It’s this experience that makes us appreciate the people in our lives, especially the ones
that usually get left unnoticed.
