By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
In a sea of teenage angst and stressed out parents, Sandy Bauman has been an island of calm at Bowling Green High School. For 22 years, she has been the smiling face as people enter the office and the cheery voice when people call on the phone.
Bauman will be retiring in August from her job as administrative assistant at BGHS, or as she puts it, “I just call myself a secretary.”
But anyone who has seen Bauman in action knows her role is much broader. Students confide in her. Parents count on her. And staff appreciates her constant calm.
“Obviously, her greatest strength is her demeanor,” BGHS Principal Dan Black said of Bauman. “I really don’t know a time when her frustration boiled over.”
“She treats everyone with respect,” Black said. “She’s the whole package that you want at a school. She’s invaluable. We will miss her.”
The feeling is mutual. Bauman knows she will miss daily interactions with students.
“I think we have great kids,” she said. “Even the kids who are troubled have always been so respectful to me.”
That’s where her unofficial role as counselor comes in handy.
“High school is hard,” especially for girls, Bauman said. “Kids come in to talk. I do love them. I’m a little worried about how much I’m going to miss them.”
It’s not that Bauman believes the kids are perfect – after all, she handles the discipline letters for minor issues. It’s just that she knows being a teenager can be tough. A BGHS graduate in 1974, she remembers walking these exact halls when she was in high school.
“I’m a true Bobcat,” she said. “I actually worked in this exact office as an office aide.”
She remembers how much she dreaded taking a message to the band or choir rooms – when all the students would stop the music and stare at her. So she makes it a point to deliver those messages herself to spare her office aides from that embarrassment.
Bauman’s family has been Bobcats for generations. Her mom graduated from BGHS, as did Bauman’s three sons. She now has a granddaughter in Kenwood Elementary.
“I am a true, true, true Bobcat,” she said.
In addition to her demeanor, her years at the high school have made her an authority in the district, Black said.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge in the community and the building,” her principal said.
In her job, Bauman helps students get the passes they need, takes attendance, answers the phones. She knows how important it is to sound pleasant and calm even when the school may feel chaotic at the moment. On exam days, students come to Bauman for official excuses to leave once their work is done.
Since 2009, she has been in charge of graduation – ideal for the woman who hasn’t missed a Bobcat graduation in 23 years. Bauman, who makes sure every student gets a real diploma – not just a fancy folder – loves being part of that whole process.
“They come in as a kid and graduate as an adult,” she said.
While some educators count down the days till a much needed summer break, Bauman does not look forward to summers.
“I really don’t enjoy the summer much because there are no kids here,” she said.
Bauman is thrilled when the students return in August with their parents to get their schedules for the new school year.
“Every year it’s different faces,” she said.
And it makes her day when students see her out in the community and take time to chat.
“It does warm my heart when I see them and they recognize me.”
Bauman is known for going over the top to decorate the high school office for holidays and graduations. And she has found it curious over the years that it’s usually the boys who compliment the scented plug-ins she uses to make the office smell good.
“I spend so much time here, I try to make it as homey as possible,” she said.
Bauman gets a little emotional talking about leaving her post.
“I always looked forward to coming to work. I love my job.”
But retirement will allow her to travel to see all her children and grandchildren. Plus she has some plans closer to home. She can’t wait to volunteer to read at the library in Kenwood Elementary School, where she also plans to join the PTO.
Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat for Bauman.
