Almost every student who walks into Portsmouth High School each morning is mostly focused on classes, friends, or practice after school. What goes underappreciated are the staff members working diligently behind the scenes to make sure our school runs smoothly, safely, and with care. From the sidelines to the hallways and front office, these unsung heroes have a vital role in students’ daily lives.

Laura Harville: The Engine of the Front Office 

For Laura Harville, each day is different. As one of the school’s Assistant Principal’s administrative assistants, a normal day includes checking in tardy students, dismissing students who are leaving, running attendance reports, calling students out of class when administrators need to talk to them, and helping students contact their parents. Also, she handles behavior letters sent home and sets up upcoming interviews for potential employees.

Many of her important responsibilities happen behind the scenes and are confidential.

“A lot of the work I do is behind the scenes and confidential; kids may think I just give them a class pass,” said Harville.

Throughout her day, she constantly supports students who are upset or having a difficult time in their lives. She notices when something feels “off”. Teachers rely on her for disciplinary coordination, and parents depend on her if they need to communicate with their kids due to the phone ban.  

The hardest part of her job, she explained, is giving out lunch detentions and learning when students are struggling, and she can’t always help.

Nevertheless, the most meaningful part of her work is building relationships with the students, so that they feel they always have someone to talk to.

Since she knows her students so well, Harville once noticed a student wasn’t acting like herself and asked if “she was okay”. This simple question led the student to break down, and Harville was there to support her in that tough moment.

During our interview, Harville was interrupted multiple times by students’ and staff’s needs. She handled each interruption with a respectful and patient manner, which shows how busy and essential her role is every day in our school.

Dale Durgin: Keeping the School a Clean and Safe Environment

When most students are still asleep, custodian Dale Durgin is already at work. Every day, Durgin is the first one in the building, opening the school and prepping for the day. His mornings include setting up for breakfast and cleaning up afterward, cleaning the field house during spring sports season, and staying on standby for spills or illness messes during the day.

Durgin mentioned there are also “filler” jobs people don’t usually notice, for example, changing the lights, replacing ceiling tiles, and fixing whatever needs to be fixed. By the end of his day, he’s often found in the back of the kitchen tidying up after lunch.

The most overlooked part of his job from students is his cleaning up after them, especially in the cafeteria. Most students have gotten better in the cafe, he mentioned. 

The most demanding part of his job is winter; snow removal is a constant problem.

You must be wondering, what keeps Durgin motivated day in and day out? 

“The kids,” Durgin said. He loves seeing everyone each day and believes his job helps students succeed by teaching respect to workers in shared areas.

A small effort goes a long way. Durgin says students can make his job easier simply by cleaning up by themselves and pushing chairs in at the cafeteria.

A moment that made him feel appreciated came when a student’s family invited him to racing events. He also received pictures and autographed cards from families. These simple gestures showed him how much his work is valued at our school.

Shammara Al-Darraji: Keeping athletes safe behind the scenes

For athletic trainer Shammara Al-Darraji, the sidelines are her office. 

Al-Darraji has been an athletic trainer since 2013, and what she loves most about her job is “building connections with athletes, making it a safe place where people can come talk to me.”

Most nights, Al-Darraji is responsible for over 100 athletes at once, and she’s the only trainer on site. People just expect her to be in two places at once, responding to injuries during games while also helping athletes before games or practices.

The most common injuries she sees are ankle sprains, but recovery looks different for everyone. Return to play decisions depend on pain tolerance, healing progress, and safety. 

Concussions are the most stressful situation she has handled, since most athletes don’t understand there are long-term consequences when playing through one.

“The most stressful thing is that my golf cart is so slow,” Al-Darraji said. “I’m nervous that if something bad happens far away from me, I won’t be able to get there fast enough.”

Despite misconceptions, Al-Darraji is not just there to give out Band-Aids and bandages. She is the first responder on the scene and has completed extensive education, including a master’s degree, and is required to complete continuing education every two years.

Al-Darraji also has to balance being a medical professional with being someone athletes trust. If a situation involves a student’s safety, she must report it, but always with the student’s best interest in mind.

Her advice to student athletes is simple yet important: Eat better, hydrate, stop relying on energy drinks, and take stretching and mobility more seriously.

Do athletic trainers get enough recognition at the high school level?

“It’s been getting better,” she said, “but most schools don’t have athletic trainers because it’s not mandatory. It takes a big event to realize they need someone there, which shouldn’t be the case.”

Recognizing the unseen

Whether it’s a secretary offering quiet support, a custodian keeping the school safe and clean, or an athletic trainer protecting students’ health, these staff members are essential to daily life at PHS. Their work may not always be visible, but their impact is felt every day.

These are the true unsung heroes of PHS.

If you feel like The PaperClip should write a profile on another unsung hero of PHS please email us at [email protected] for a story idea!