Katie Turpin for Shining Star Award

By Jeff Sogard

Clarke Community Middle School principal

I would like to nominate Mrs. Katie Turpin for the Shining Star Award. Her official job title is middle school principal’s secretary, but she is so much more than that. I have had the pleasure of working with Katie everyday for the last four years. She has far exceeded my expectations. She demonstrates great customer service each and everyday. I nominate her for her ability to multitask, for her excellent job performance and for going above and beyond to help those in need.

On a daily basis, she answers phone calls, handles parent and community inquiries, manages any unexpected events that occur throughout the school day and maintains a positive outlook and professional demeanor.  

I would like to name just a few of Katie’s “duties.”  These are just a few of them; believe me there are many more.  

In the spring, Katie fills out requisition forms and orders all school supplies for the following school year. At the beginning of the year, she handles all registration duties.  She enters and exits all 7-12 students into our JMC student data management system.  She helps get parents entered in JMC’s Parent Access, which helps the parents keep track of their child’s grades/progress.  

When a student moves, Katie mails out the school records to the student’s new school.  She reports on attendance issues (tardies, absences, etc.) with the MS School Counselor and myself.  She has helped prepare student and teacher schedules.  She collects and prepares grades reports which includes four midterms, four quarters, and two semester checks.  She helps at Orientation, Open House, and Parent-Teacher Conferences.  

Every quarter, she prepares the MS honor rolls and gets them to the newspaper. She helps our Curriculum Director collect data and prepare state reports. She often acts in the role of a Nurse, whether it’s taking a student’s temperature and/or giving them something for a headache, stomachache, cough or sore throat. She calls substitutes whenever the need arises.  

Katie is very technology savvy. Whenever a staff member needs assistance with their computer and/or laptop, they usually come to her for help. She keeps our office copier up and running.  She has been working with LifeTouch putting together our first Middle School yearbook that will be available at the end of the school year. She has taken over the duties of Clarke Community School District’s “Web Master” and is in charge of maintaining our school’s website. She created and/or updated webpages for every K-12 teacher in our District.