Unsung Heroes: Mrs. Schroeder
Photo from Hamilton School District.
Sienna Kenney
Many students here at Hamilton, including myself, take pride in our bright and colorful hallways decorated with posters, but have you ever wondered who prints them all? Or the class review packets for guided notes that assist us in our academic endeavors? The answer to these questions is Mrs. Cheryl Schroeder, the lead employee in Hamilton Publications. Mrs. Schroeder has worked at Hamilton since 2002, when she started in the Guidance department. Currently, working in Publications, she spends the day helping students, teachers, and club leaders alike with everything they may need printed. It should be clear from the praise below, from Hamilton administration and nearly every department, how valuable and appreciated Mrs. Schroeder is.
Administration
Dr. Mielke (Hamilton Superintendent): Mrs. Schroeder plays a large role in our district. She is consistently going above and beyond to manage publications and support our teachers. Her efforts, behind the scenes, support our academic and extracurricular programs, in numerous ways. We greatly appreciate Mrs. Schroeder's commitment and reliability, which make her an unsung hero at Hamilton.
Mr. Gosz (Hamilton Athletics & Activities): Mrs Schroeder has been a fixture at Hamilton High School for many years and is a godsend for the athletic department. From creating our programs & senior night recognitions to working events, she can always be counted on. She is extremely loyal and will do whatever is asked when called upon. She does many things behind the scenes that not only our staff and coaches benefit from but our students as well. She most certainly is an MVP at Hamilton High School!!!
World Languages
Ms. Karrels: Mrs. Schroeder is very knowledgeable about how to print documents, posters, flyers, etc. in the best and most attractive way possible. She has helped me with determining the layout for many documents and worksheets as well as how to laminate things that I want to use and keep for a long time. She is extremely efficient at making copies for teachers and does so with incredible speed!
Ms. Feudner: Besides making my hundreds of copies, Mrs. Schroeder is amazing to work with if you are a club advisor. When I planned prom in both 2017 and 2020, she helped me to create my posters and tickets. Honestly, when I say helped I really mean she created them and they looked fantastic. She was also always willing to chaperone those events which I greatly appreciated. I am now the head of Spanish NHS and she sets up our programs and certificates every year. Without Cheryl, I would have to pay at least double that amount to have these things printed from an outside source. Her value to the teachers and club advisors at HHS is immeasurable.
Mr. Tennessen: We are incredibly lucky to have Cheryl on our Hamilton team. The learning process goes much smoother when we have the resources to work with, and Cheryl is quite a resource. Spend a few minutes in Publications, and you'll leave with the materials you need. Cherryl will also provide a good story, some solid advice, or some encouragement for the rest of the day. She certainly deserves a great deal of praise for making our lives easier for the past few decades. Thanks Cheryl!
IMC
Ms. Gorski: Mrs. Schroeder is a tireless worker for Hamilton staff. She maintains our printers and ensures that things are running efficiently. She has been incredibly helpful over the years with the National Honor Society Induction program and certificates. I couldn't do it without her attention to detail. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Music
Ms. Plamann: Mrs Schroeder is always willing to go the extra mile for us. When it comes to the shows here, she is flexible, sometimes getting jobs done extremely quickly, to ensure we have posters and playbills that are professional in time for each show. She is always kind and helpful. It is clear she loves the students here and is a great supporter of all they do!
Science
Ms. Wainio: Mrs. Schroeder has become an unofficial member of both Club Action and Science Club. She works endlessly to help create and print our hallway flyers (sometimes that second!), and our fundraising posters and handouts. In addition to being a great peer, she is a considerate community member who participates in each fundraiser we have done!
Ms. Maxwell: This school could not run without her!
Mr. Weiss: Cheryl has been a continual printing savior for me. Teaching physics requires a lot of paper copies of example problems to help students work on their skills and my job would be incredibly difficult without Cheryl. She always has work done in a timely manner (even though I might turn in my printing orders a bit late) and cares deeply about supporting the teachers. Having Cheryl makes our jobs a bit easier as teachers, and we are lucky to have her.
Communication Arts
Ms. Kowalske: I’ve worked in schools before who do not have anyone to help teachers run copies, posters, laminations, etc. and it was just another stressor and time-suck for teachers. Not so at Hamilton. I am so grateful to Mrs. Schroeder for her prompt attention to all of the publications/copies. Mrs. Schroeder is an absolute gift to all of Hamilton staff and someone who works behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. All the posters hanging up in the hallways advertising clubs and events? All of the athletic rosters at games and drama playbills? Those dreaded rainbow packets in AP Calc? Review packets? Pretty much any printed material used in your classes? It’s Mrs. Schroeder who takes the time to print these things, saving teachers and club advisors immeasurable time and saving my butt with last-minute copies on more than one occasion. She is a fixture here at Hamilton–the absolute best representative of Hamilton school spirit and tireless dedication–and our building would not function without her.
Math
Mr. Sciortino: Mrs. Schroeder is a landmark here at Hamilton as well as within the Hamilton Education community. She has dealt with a lot personally in my 10 years at Hamilton, yet is always invested in what is best for Hamilton. Her job is essential to the day-to-day operations of all of our classrooms and due to her efficiency, probably goes unnoticed. She not only deserves the recognition of this article, but the respect and admiration of our entire school community. A sincere thank you for all you do!
Ms. Wied: Oh, my goodness—Cheryl Schroeder is just a wonderful person! She is first of all a Queen of multi-tasking and patience. Who else could juggle all those different tasks that she does, on a continuous basis, and not make mistakes?!?! Secondly, she is an extremely selfless, giving person. She sacrifices her time and resources to make our lives (staff, teachers, and administrators) easier, and she does the same for the students (how many animal cracker containers has she shared?!). We all know the selfless things she has done to get us out of a last-minute jam we have gotten ourselves into, but we don’t all know about the many quiet, individual, behind the scenes deeds she does for others who are facing difficulties, for which I am grateful. She is a Hamilton treasure.
Physical Education
Mr. Gumm: Cheryl is awesome! She is very responsive and quickly gets done whatever you need. She is also a great story teller and if you really need the scoop on something, she is your best bet!
Business
Ms. Hillman: "Running to Publications" is never a burden as I know I will be greeted by Cheryl's friendly face! Her humor, stories, and frankness are a testament to the human she is! Cheryl, from one grandma to another, your heart is bigger than the body cavity you have to store it in and just know how much I've appreciated our conversations over the past 25 years and can't wait for many more!
Ms. Fields: Ms. Schroeder is a true gem in this building! She is always on top of everything, which is incredibly valuable when we forget to make copies and realize it on the day we need them. She even goes above and beyond, reading through the documents. She's caught a few more errors than I'd like to admit and always emails me any corrections so I can make changes before she makes the copies. Ms. Schroeder continuously goes the extra mile, even delivering documents I needed in a time crunch directly to my classroom. Her attentiveness and dedication help things run smoothly in classrooms everyday and we are so grateful for her!
Social Studies
Ms. Budney: I don't know what our district would do without Mrs. Schroeder! She is a perfectionist and hard worker who really knows what she is doing. She cares about all of us teachers and really strives to make sure we have what we need to run our classes. She has always been there to help me with my printing projects–often providing me with options to make them better. Even if I am running in last minute and need something for the next block she gets it done for me! She's the best!
Mr. Helm: Mrs. Schroeder has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. She helps make Hamilton run in so many different ways from running copies of classroom activities and programs to helping with sporting events and school dances. Mrs. Schroeder's always ready to listen and talk when I'm in need, and she's a valued member of the Ham Fam.
Mr. Heckman: Cheryl Schroeder is the unsung hero of Hamilton High School. Her efficiency in making copies is amazing, as she has bailed out teachers including myself with last second copy requests. Cheryl is also a huge supporter of Hamilton Activities and Athletics. She works at a ton of athletic events throughout the year as well as makes programs and print rosters for those events. She also helps fundraise and supports numerous programs and activities here at Hamilton. Thanks for all you do!
Ms. Hinytz: Mrs. Schroeder is a GODDESS... She is an unsung hero and is VITAL to the success of students, teachers, clubs, athletics and a district as a whole. There are so many things she does that go unnoticed day to day. From a teacher perspective, she is a savior as she is so punctual and gets our copy work back to us so promptly. For new teachers, where they are barely planned out she's great about making sure their copies are front and center. As an advisor for Robotics, we did a TON of copy work, she had to deal with a lot of unique formatting, special requests and quick deadlines...and she always delivered above and beyond. She runs posters for clubs and activities, does work for our all star athletics, music and drama programs and does workbooks for the elementary schools. We are SO fortunate to have her in our building... People who may feel that her job is pushing a button, running copies or that her job can be outsourced have NO idea what she brings on the daily to our little neck of the universe. Additionally she is a loyal friend, community member and loves our district...so much. She's a staple at basketball and football games selling tickets and holding the line. Fun fact, she came into work (authorized) this year while recovering from hip surgery b/c she knew how busy the change of the semester is for teachers. WE LOVE CHERYL.
Though many of her efforts are behind the scenes and often unrecognized, Mrs. Schroeder is integral to the success of Hamilton and a critically important team member of this district. Clearly evident in the quotations above is not just gratitude for all of the things she does for the district, but praise and love for the person that she is and everything she selflessly gives to others. We appreciate you, Mrs. Schroeder!
Please check out our other Unsung Heroes in this article series:
