Glen Burnie Area Principals Recognize Office Professionals

As we come to the middle of Administrative Professionals Week—and Administrative Professionals Day—Glen Burnie Patch spoke with principals in town to find out what it was that makes their office staff so important to running their schools.

In 2000, the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) changed the name of Professional Secretaries Week and Professional Secretaries Day to keep pace with changing job titles and expanding responsibilities of today’s administrative workforce, according the group's website.

According to the site, IAAP created what is now known as Administrative Professionals Week as a way to recognize "the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend," and to call attention "through favorable publicity, to the tremendous potential of the secretarial career."

Vickie Plitt, principal of , said the outstanding administrative assistants at her school deserve recognition and specifically praised principal's secretary Cabrini Kriewald.

"Cabrini Kriewald has been an integral part of Glen Burnie High for over 20 years. She is widely respected by the entire GBHS and Glen Burnie community as a whole. We have come to rely on her knowledge and expertise," Plitt said.

At Marley Elementary, principal Donna Williman said staff and students have showed their appreciation to all three secretaries at the school this week in many creative ways with things such as notes or gifts.

"Ms. [Sherry] Palmer, the principal’s secretary, Ms. [Charisse] Davis, our enrollment secretary, and Mrs. [Lisa] Durham, our financial secretary, keep our front office running in a caring and efficient manner," Williman said.  In addition to serving students and family members, our secretaries do an outstanding job of supporting our school staff. They make everyone feel as if they are the only one needing their help. In between these people-friendly tasks, our secretaries do an outstanding job at completing their other responsibilities ... Our secretaries are the glue that holds our school together!"

How are you recognizing the administrative professionals in your life?