We have outstanding staff in Meridian School District, each with their own incredible story. Please take a moment to get to know the wonderful people who work for our district and make it a great place to be!
Roberto Santana, Lead Custodian at Meridian High School
“I’ve been here for 28 years and I love this place. Everything about this job is awesome, the people, the kids. Even though I’m walking distance to some schools in another district, I’ve been offered positions there. I turned them down.
Meridian is a family-oriented district and everyone is friendly. We wear a lot of hats around here. I clean up the lunch room, open up campus and greet kids as they arrive. I help the teachers and the kids. Whatever needs to be done, I am here to do it. It’s an awesome place.
Meridian High School has changed dramatically in the time I’ve been here and for the better. We have a beautiful campus, dedicated teachers and great staff. It’s such an awesome place that my son works here now. There were open positions in other districts, he was encouraged to apply for those jobs but he didn’t. He wanted to work here, he said ‘because of the way you treat my dad, I just want to work here.’ Meridian is a great place to be, and you want to be part of it. We treat each other like family. Everyday is a great day for me here.”
Doneva Froberg, classified substitute
“When my boys transferred to Meridian, about 20 years ago, that’s when I started subbing. We lived in another district and my boys would come home from school cranky because the school was crowded. They wanted to go to Meridian because they knew kids who went here. They started at Meridian Middle School and it was such a good fit for them. It is so supportive here. I am not kidding. My boys used to come home and I’d say, who are your friends? And they were like “mom, everybody’s just one family” and it is, it’s really true. It’s just a close-knit community. Everybody knew who my kids were here and knew who I was.
One of my first times subbing, I noticed this little boy who was in the office every day. He was a Dennis the Menace, and I had a Dennis the Menace too. Every day in his lunch I saw he had a sleeve of Oreos and a bag of Doritos. At the end of the day, I asked the principal if I could talk to her and I told her what he was eating in his lunch every day. She said we need to get him on the free meals programs. After that, I was watching him read his milk carton and he had it right up close to his face. The boy couldn’t see. So, I went back to the principal and the next thing I know, he got glasses! Our staff are great, but they can’t be everywhere all the time. When you love children, and you love people, you just want to be part of the solution. When you see you’ve made that difference at the end of the day it’s like, mission accomplished!
I love the flexibility of subbing. I have 13 grandchildren, and four of them attend Meridian schools. I remember one of the first times I subbed my little grandson was in kindergarten and was being very well-behaved, so the teachers asked what was going on and he said, “my grandma is going to be the duty!” I love seeing my grandkids at school and I love that when they have an event, I can just pick and choose when I work. I love the diversity of jobs. I love getting paid to see all my friends, literally. It’s a new beginning every day. Like this week, I’ve done secretarial, and I’ve done recess. Everyday I try to encourage somebody to sub, it’s the best gig ever. ”
Monica Campfield, registrar and secretary at MP3
“I started my career as a legal secretary, but then I turned my focus to my boys when they were growing up. Looking back, I probably always wanted to be a teacher. Through certain circumstances and my own decisions, I just didn’t go that path, but I always loved going in and volunteering in my kid’s classrooms. I loved the atmosphere of school. I felt like it was uplifting. I was eventually hired as a student monitor at Ten Mile Creek Elementary. I loved being part of the staff. Then secretary jobs came up and I thought well, those are my skills and I could still be with kids in the school, so it just was a natural fit.
For one year, I worked at Ten Mile, MP3, the transportation and the athletic departments. I had to learn four new jobs and do them all the same day. It was a challenge, but I wanted more hours and I learned so much. I really have enjoyed all my jobs at Meridian and I’ve had a lot! What’s great about that is I got to meet so many people. I got to know all the bus drivers and all the people in the athletic department, it was great. I learned about all the inner workings that everybody takes for granted, like the amount of work that goes into transporting our kids. It is a big deal, and it takes a lot of planning and organizing. The athletic planning and the scheduling, especially during the spring, that was a lot! I had an opportunity to really see what many people do. Everybody works really hard in this district.
I feel like too, the staff here in Meridian have always been so kind and loving and they loved my kids. My kids loved them. With Meridian not having necessarily a town, everything does revolve around the schools, they are the glue in this community.
I’ve been a full-time secretary at MP3 since 2008 and I love it. I think that alternative learning can sometimes sound negative and it’s anything but negative here. It is very welcoming here to everybody. Our students and families are a joy and I have the privilege to work with an amazing staff. They are my friends. We love to answer questions, we love to inform people about how this school operates and we’re all very proud of it.”