In the early-morning hours, one might convincingly argue that the most happening place in the school is tucked in the corner of the main office. Inside resides a certain someone whose familiarity with the students of NASH is unrivaled, even down to the curve in their signature. 

For the past four years at NASH, Mrs. Geri Fenton has single-handedly overseen the Attendance Office, writing tardy slips for periods on end and entering excused absences into the electronic system as late arrivals amass. Though Fenton’s days start the same as the rest of the staff, when the bell rings at 7:23, the line outside of her window begins to grow.

“When the tardy students file in, a bunch of them have their Starbuck’s cups, but they say that they were not ‘feeling well,’” Fenton said with a chuckle, “but I am thinking that the Starbuck’s line was just longer than what they thought.” 

After the first two periods of signing late students into attendance, Fenton turns her attention to a daily slew of parent calls and online excuses. She describes the number of emails as “constant,” occupying the majority of her day. 

Fenton has seen excuses in all forms, but the little surprises always excite her. 

“The funny thing about this job is that I get the excuses on anything from paper towels to a nice piece of elegant paper,” she said.

To some, her job might sound mundane — taking calls, replying to endless emails, greeting students — but Fenton insists that it is anything but that. 

“Sometimes I do not catch on, but just the other day I caught a kid who forged a signature. I love when I catch them,” she whispered. “The penmanship made it obvious that it was not a parent’s signature.”

Catching a forgery is satisfying for Fenton, but she is quick to explain that safety is her top priority. She stresses that North Allegheny will be held responsible for any harm that occurs to a student if their whereabouts are not known.

Fenton’s stories of sneaky students do not occur very often, however, because each year she tends to see the same pattern of late arrivers and early exiters.

“You get to know your frequent flyers and their faces, so you can tell if they are being honest or not,” she said. “It’s kind of funny because I get the same kids coming in late all the time, and their excuse is that they are sick. I never want to get a kid in trouble or have them receive detention. I usually give them one free pass, but if it happens again I have to mark it unexcused until I get a note.”

One might commonly surmise that the daily back and forth struggles with students can be exhausting, but Fenton claims it is only half the battle. It is not the students who cause the bulk of the issues, but rather the parents.

“You get more parents on the phone who are funnier than the kids,” she said. “Sometimes I catch the parents covering for the kids. They will stumble and not know the simple answers to when their child is leaving or where they are going.”

Understanding that her job can somedays play out like a tug of war, Fenton said she often gives the parents the benefit of the doubt, acknowledging that the whole story of the particular attendance issue in question is not usually divulged to her. 

But Fenton refuses to grow cynical in her job. The early-morning greetings and small talk that ensues upon the arrival to school are enough to lift her spirits and remind her of the countless positive relationships she has formed students.

“They’re kids,” she said. “Through all of the commotion and foul language, it’s high school, and I understand.”