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National Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated annually on the Wednesday of the last full week of April. This year this celebratory day is Wednesday, April 24th. Administrative Professionals’ Day recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, executive assistants, personal assistants, receptionists, client services representatives, and other administrative support professionals. Administrative Professionals Day began as National Secretaries Week which was first observed June 1st -7th, 1952, with June 4th being National Secretaries Day. The name was officially changed to Administrative Professionals Day in 2000 to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide range of job titles of administrative staff. There are too many wonderful people to feature for this day, so this year’s focus is on the administrative professionals that work tirelessly to ensure that the school days run smoothly for both the students and staff at Wagner Community School. These individuals are the backbone of the school and go above and beyond their required job duties. Wagner Community School has seven amazing chaos coordinators also known as administrative professionals including Nancy Cuka, Jessa McCarthy, Rosie Koupal, Keisha Bruguier, Stacy Greger, Mary Koupal and Kathy Cournoyer.

Nancy Cuka

Nancy Cuka is the Administrative Assistant for the Wagner Early Learning Center (preschool). Nancy has been in this position for the past six years. She first became interested in working at the school because her son was working there at the time and said it was a great work environment. Add that to Nancy’s love of children and wanting to be a part of a workplace that values comradery and it was a perfect combination for her. As the secretary for the preschool, Nancy wears many hats. Much of her workday is spent taking attendance and making calendars for the students. Throughout her workday, Nancy has many opportunities to interact with the preschool students which is a very fun and enjoyable aspect for Nancy. She takes part in homecoming parades, fire and tornado drills and when students are not feeling well Nancy does everything she can to make them comfortable until their parents or guardians are able to pick them up.

The best part of Nancy’s job is everything. She loves being able to count on getting hugs from the students every day. The Wagner Early Learning Center feels like a big family where students and staff are there for each other when they need help. Nancy knows that she can always count on her co-workers, whether it is a personal problem or just helping with a student; there is always someone there. Nancy feels that as employees they have a great administration team that supports herself and her fellow co-workers 100%. The most challenging part of her job is making sure that all the kids get on the right bus in order to get to the correct destinations. Nancy’s favorite part of her workday is naptime because it lets her get caught up on projects.

Nancy is married to her husband, Ron and they have two sons, Kyle and Joey. Both of her sons are married, and the couple have four grandchildren Kennedy, Calli, Rebekah and Tobias. Nancy has volunteered to help the Labor Day Committee with the Parade Route and has been a member of the Festival in the Park Committee. When she is not busy working, Nancy enjoys fishing and scrapbooking.

Jessa McCarthy

Jessa McCarthy is the Elementary Secretary for WCS. She has been working for WCS in this position for two years. Jessa became interested in working at the school as a secretary because she loves kids and has always loved office work.

The part that Jessa enjoys most about her job is when the kids stop in the office to just say hello or give her a hug. Every day is different and there is never a dull moment at work. Jessa’s co-workers really make it great to work at the school. She loves it when they stop in the office throughout the day. Jessa’s favorite part of the workday is when the students get released for the day. She has to make sure that everyone gets where they need to go and it can be a chaotic time trying to get that accomplished some days.

Jessa is currently a volunteer softball coach for the Wagner Red Raiders. During the summer, she works at the Pickstown Golf Course. When she is not busy at work, she enjoys kayaking and going to the river as much as possible during her summers.

Rosie Koupal

Rosie Koupal is the Middle School Administrative Assistant. She has been working in some capacity of administrative assistant for WCS for the last 50 years with no end in sight. Rosie became interested in working for the school after she graduated from college. WCS had a high school secretary position available, and it was the only secretarial job available at the time. Rosie is a hometown girl and applied because she wanted to work in Wagner.

The best part of Rosie’s job is getting to interact with so many people throughout her day. She enjoys building relationships with them and is always learning something new every day. Being around and interacting with the students is a highlight for Rosie. Seeing the students come in in the morning with smiles just makes her day. Rosie loves working at the school. Wagner has a large, beautiful school with a fantastic School Board and Administration. The most challenging part of her job is juggling multiple tasks simultaneously and ensuring that all the everyday tasks get done while staying organized and efficient.

Rosie’s favorite part of her workday is the interaction she has with the students. Rosie knows that it is because of the students that she has a job that she truly enjoys. Rosie loves to give hugs and believes that working with the students helps keep a person young.

Rosie is married to her husband of 47 years, Dwayne. They have three children, Michael, Mandy and Michelle. They are each married and have families of their own. Rosie and Dwayne have eleven grandchildren. Rosie volunteers at middle school basketball tournaments. When Rosie is not busy working, she enjoys baking, gardening, spending time outdoors, spending time with her family and friends and attending her grandchildren’s school activities.

Keisha Bruguier Keisha Bruguier is the High School Administrative Assistant at WCS. She has been working in this position for the past four years and has worked at the school five years total. Keisha originally was interested in this position because she wanted to try something new at the school. What Keisha enjoys most about her job are the busy mornings with both staff and students in and out of the office. There is never a dull moment, and it is always something different every day. The positive work environment is what Keisha enjoys most about working at the school. The best part of Keisha’s workday is the mornings. That is when she gets to greet and help start off both her and the students’ day in a positive way.

Keisha has two daughters, Shaylahni and Shaymiah Brother of All. They are both students at Wagner Elementary School. When Keisha is not busy working, she is always on the go with her two daughters and their schedules. She also loves to spend time with and be around her family.

Stacy Greger

Stacy Greger is the Business Office Administrative Assistant at WCS. Stacy has worked at WCS for the past 23 years in this position. Stacy was first interested in the position because she had an interest in what the job duties were for her now position and the appeal of the Monday through Friday hours. Stacy’s job duties include food service state reporting, assist with the POS for food service, daily food service reports, answering calls, taking messages, assisting with entering time and leave for staff members, assisting with JOM and Impact Aid reporting, verifying and recording receipts for activity gates, concession sales, etc.

Working on state reports, annual JOM and Impact Aid reports are what Stacy enjoys the most about her job. The best parts of working for the school are associating with the staff and students and not having to work evenings or weekends. The most challenging part of Stacy’s job is working on the Impact Aid data. Even though she has been doing it for eight years, it is very time consuming and tedious work. Stacy’s favorite part of her workday is anything as long as she is busy; she enjoys staying busy.

Stacy is married to her husband, Dave. They have a son, Taylor who is a K9 handler for the SD Highway Patrol and a daughter-in-law, Cassie, who is an RN at the Wagner Community Hospital. Stacy and Dave own Dave’s Service in Wagner which keeps her busy outside of her job at WCS. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting and spending time with friends and going to the Black Hills every chance she gets.

Mary Koupal is an Administrative Assistant for the business office and Superintendent at WCS. She has worked for WCS for the past 31 years. Mary first became interested in working at the school as there were job openings available shortly after she moved to Wagner. She also saw it as a good opportunity to meet new people. Mary’s job duties include working with accounts payable, ordering, shipping and receiving, payroll and preparing school board reports for the monthly Board Meetings. Mary also assists with food service, so she does get a chance to interact with the students, which is a nice change of pace in her daily routine. Mary also supervises the pool during open swimming on Monday and Thursday evenings.

The WCS Administration team is great to work with and is a very enjoyable part of Mary’s job. Working with staff, co-workers, and students also add to the enjoyment of her job. She enjoys the Monday through Friday hours, and it was an added benefit to be a part of the school when her kids were in school. The most challenging part of her job is managing deadlines. For Mary, her days are busy, and time seems to fly.

Mary is married to her husband, Doug. They have three children Tyler, Sarah and Ashley. Mary just recently became a grandma to baby Sutton (Tyler and his wife, Tayleigh’s, baby). When she is not busy working, Mary enjoys working in her yard and playing grandma.

Happy National Administrative Professionals Days to these amazing ladies that help WCS students and staff manage their days more successfully. Thank you to all of you for all the hard work and dedication that you bring to your positions. Thank you to all administrative professionals in all work-related capacities and hope the day is a great one.