Tucked in the first room of the Truckee High School Office, Cherise Williams is found behind her desk with an open door and listening ear for anyone who needs it. Williams is the Administrative Secretary of Truckee High School (THS), doing a little bit of everything for everyone.
“I’ll usually have some part in almost every process that goes on in the school,” she said.
“This could be starting with maintenance work orders… I do a lot of the purchasing, most of our teachers have a classroom fund.. And then I will set up purchase orders.”
Though she is always open to help whoever comes into her office, Williams mainly interacts with the staff on campus.
“When there’s staff meetings or back to school events for the teachers, professional development for the district, I do a lot of the cooking and we do a whole catering thing. And then we do teacher appreciation week.”
She is a part of every official request that goes through THS. Whether it’s a facility request to rent the theater, a classroom fund, a purchase order, or teacher scheduling, Williams is the face of the school.
Williams does not often interact with many students other than the Associated Student Body (ASB) and classroom purchasing. “It’s so tucked away [in the office],” Williams said, “I think most students don’t want to go to the principal’s office, so there’s kind of a negative connotation with coming up here, but we’re always here to say ‘hi’and just chat.”
Another big part of her job is, at the end of the year, when her focus goes to the graduating class of Seniors. “My biggest push at the end of the year is anything that has to do with seniors. So I put on evening of excellence, I put on the Senior Scholarship night. And of course, graduation,” Williams said. “[Which] I just do the logistics part of.”
As a positive force in the school, she is always grateful for her community support system. “Everything is teamwork. We have an amazing team here. I feel so blessed… The admin are amazing. John [Neuburger] is an amazing boss and leader. And these guys up here are an incredible support.”
Before coming to work at Truckee High three years ago, she worked as an escrow officer in Truckee. After COVID-19, Williams began looking for another job when she ended up at THS. “I just heard through the grapevine they were looking,” she said.
Williams has a fulfilling lifestyle outside of work, and enjoys the mountain landscape every morning. “I moved here in 2010, but I’m actually originally from Tahoe City,” she said. “I wouldn’t change it. I love the mountains.”
“I like to do a lot of things, but I mostly just like to read and I like to bake,” Williams said, explaining her hobbies and work-life balance. “I like to sew, I picked up resin work for a while, but I kind of got out of that; it was so messy and it was kind of expensive.”
Her life isn’t only comprised of her job and hobbies though. She also has a family at home. “I’m a mom of eight, I have eight kids,” she said. “I have five sons and three daughters. Four of my children are married, and I have four grandkids, I have two on the way.”
Williams is a key part of the ecosystem of Truckee High School, and she always has an open door and ear for whoever needs it.