Who is stamping your passes? Meet Chloe, Jaida, and Lirey, from the front office

When people step into the main office at ARHS, they will find it decorated for whatever is the latest holiday, from Halloween to Thanksgiving to the winter holidays; filled with plants; and staffed by the smiling faces of Jaida Lyons, Chloe Roldan-Guzman, and Lireydaliz Rodriguez.

For Lyons and Roldan-Guzman, who cover the two desks in the main office, this is their first full year at ARHS, while Rodriguez, who is the administrative assistant to Principal Talib Sadiq, has been here longer. 

Because interactions in the main office are often brief, most students don’t learn more than the names of its wonderful staff. What do they do and who are they?

Their jobs are distinct. Rodriguez’s first move in the morning is to get on the phone to make sure there’s a sub in every class. Being so driven to make sure the school is running properly has its difficulties, especially in a substitute shortage. Rodriguez joked that her passion and dedication over the phone can come across as “not passionate sometimes.” 

Roldan-Guzman, meanwhile, checks her email first thing, takes care of the tardy notes and hands out passes to students coming in, posts daily announcements, and organizes field trips, including transportation. “I love computers and being at a computer,” she said, noting it doesn’t feel like work.  

Lyons is also integral to the morning rush, buzzing in students, getting students to sign in, and stamping their passes. 

While they all found their jobs at ARHS via suggestions from friends they were in very different situations before working here. Roldan-Guzman was a seamstress but her shift was laid off, Rodriguez was a jack-of-all-trades in the Hadley hotel industry, and Lyons was a behavioral specialist working at a group home in Longmeadow (she still works nights there).

The work they do has its ups and downs, Rodriguez (a graduate of ARHS’s class of ‘09) loves “the fact I can give back to families and my community” and that she has the opportunity to “be what I wish I had when I was a student here.” 

While they all seem to enjoy working at ARHS very much, Lyons acknowledged being disappointed when she sees some “young kids being aggressive” towards teachers or peers “as opposed to focusing on their goals.” All three work to build positive relationships with students.

Roldan-Guzman prides herself on how friendly she is when connecting with them. “They can trust me in whatever situation they have,” she said. Lyons also views herself as a supporter, and if she could share a message with the student body, she would tell them in “everything that you do, do your best. Make a difference.”

When outside of school the trio has their own personal interests. Roldan-Guzman and Lyons keep it lowkey during the school week. Roldan-Guzman tends to her birds and cooks, as well as pursuing her passion for computers, by training in  IT at Porter and Chester. Lyons enjoys long drives and baths, relaxing, and  “eating, eating, and eating.” 

Meanwhile, Rodriguez spends time with her 13 year old son and in the  Hip-Hop/R&B community of Springfield and Western Mass. “I have a lot of friends and just like to support them,” she said.

All three said their work is meaningful and they enjoy it. “[This job] keeps me young,” said Lyons. “I get to know younger people and see what’s going on with them. It keeps me up to date.”