Published May 31, 2023
BY AINSLEY HENDERSON
After filling in for longtime attendance secretary Ann Berry until her official retirement on May 1, Sara Scanlan is officially making Carmel High School’s front office her permanent workplace as the high school’s new attendance secretary.
Prior to working in education, Scanlan attended beauty school and took courses to become a certified nurse assistant; however, she eventually realized that neither career path was for her – she was too impatient to do hair and makeup and was not a fan of blood or needles.
As the mother of a freshman, a third grader and a kindergartener – all attending CUSD schools – Scanlan, who says that she has always worked well with children, decided to try her hand as a school substitute, beginning working with elementary students in 2019.
Scanlan hopes to work as the attendance secretary for as long as she can. (photo by AINSLEY HENDERSON)
“Once I started subbing, I really loved it and wanted to get into the district,” says Scanlan, who prior to being hired at CHS had acted as a substitute at Tularcitos Elementary School, Carmel River Elementary School, Carmel Middle School and CHS.
Originally, the attendance secretary wanted to only work in elementary schools, but after being hired as an additional nurse at CMS during the pandemic, Scanlan changed her mind, citing a new-found liking for older children.
“I fell in love with the middle school and thought that’s where I wanted to be,” she says. “Once they asked me to sub here, for Ann, I just loved everybody in here.”
Scanlan had only worked as an attendance secretary one other time, at Tularcitos, despite being a warm, friendly person and an excellent attendance substitute. She notes that while the job takes lots of organization and good time management skills, it was not too complex to get the hang of.
After quickly realizing that she enjoyed working in Carmel High’s front office, Sara Scanlan applied for the position on April 17, the day that the job opening was posted.
“It’s an amazing staff, amazing campus and really awesome kids.”
