The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

Countdown to April Break!
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A Force to be Reckoned With: Mrs. Benoit and Mrs. Frederick

tootie_keitha 001

Mrs. Frederick (better known as Keitha) and Mrs. Benoit (also known as Tootie), Westborough High School’s front office administrative assistants, are a very cheerful, efficient duo! Often overlooked, our secretaries play a major part in the smooth operation of our school. Without them, the school would soon grind to a halt.

Keitha has been working at WHS for 21 years; and is still going strong. “I love this job! The students here are great, the teachers are great, and everyone’s respectful. It’s an amazing job.” When asked what a typical day consisted of, she answered, “Everyday is different—you never know what’s going to happen. Situations come up; there are the usual tardy kids, announcements, and just preparing for the day. We definitely have lulls in here but for the most part, it’s pretty busy.”

What inspired Keitha to join the secretary force? The answer is her children. “When my kids were little, I wanted to have a job where I could still spend lots of time with them. This job is perfect: I work during the school day and get school vacations, including summer, off!” Now that her children are grown up, Keitha uses her spare time to garden, watch movies, go to California to visit her daughters, and go out to dinner.

Tootie is in her 4th year of working at WHS. After working at school for years, she has learned some very useful skills. She comments, “We’re really good at multitasking.” This became clear as the interview went on: the phone rang, students and teachers alike came in with requests, the printer spit out countless sheets of paper, and all the while, Tootie was answering questions for this article. “Sometimes people ask us how we’re so good at multitasking and we just say practice.”

After graduating from Grafton High School, Tootie earned her degree at Westfield State, with a major in Political Science and Prelaw (“That’s why she does detentions!” chirped Keitha). After bouncing back and forth from several jobs, she decided that being an office administrator was the job for her. Luckily, WHS managed to nab her before any other school could snatch her up. Outside of school, Tootie enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, and going out to dinner.

Keitha and Tootie are a fearless duo who can conquer any problems that arise in the office domain. Tootie says, “We are such a team and get along very well.”

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  • A

    anonymousDec 16, 2009 at 10:55 am

    YEAH. i agree with the person above.

    Reply
  • A

    anonymousDec 15, 2009 at 10:17 am

    nice article, pretty funny. i like the ending especially

    Reply