The best way to describe bookkeeper Joan Burnett’s office is vibrant.
A flower-themed calendar. Plants. Sunlight flowing in through the large window. Burnett’s silver hoops and her pink, purple and green floral hoodie. Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” playing in the background. And blue and white hydrangeas, courtesy of Student Council, gifted on Administrative Professional Day.
But on July 17, after 25 years working in the district, Burnett will take her hydrangeas home.
“I’ll probably kill them when I take them home because I don't have the sunlight that I have in here,” Burnett said, laughing.
Throughout her 23 years at SM East, the building has provided her with many fond memories. It’s where she overheard amusing conversations — like students laughing about messy bedrooms — and watched them eat lunch in the office before heading to the Center of Academic Achievement. It’s where the band passes through the hallway and where the choir sings in the stairwell during the holidays. Other memories, like the time her skirt slipped due to a loose elastic, leaving the receptionist in uncontrollable laughter, are unforgettable.
Burnett oversees the school’s finances, processing everything from student fees to purchase orders and district invoices. And though she says she “sees names more than students,” Burnett is recognized amongst the student body.
Senior Fina Kessler, who exchanged emails with Burnett every day as Student Council treasurer last year, wanted to hug Burnett as soon as she heard about her retirement, describing her as joyful, nurturing and kind.
“She has this little bowl of Starbursts in the room, and would always let me take a few,” Kessler said.
Coworkers have become her “work family.”
Burnett jokes about her “work husband,” journalism adviser Dow Tate, and works closely with colleagues like science teacher Rusty Debey and business teacher Mercedes Rasmussen, who’s also retiring, along with others in the front office.
Athletic Administration Assistant Jeanne Dusek will be taking Burnett’s place and has spent the past few months working alongside her to prepare for the upcoming role.
“I know she's a phone call away — that's what she said,” Dusek said. “She's phenomenal, and it's really big shoes to fill, but she's been a great teacher and mentor. It'll take me probably 23 years to get to where she's at.”
They’re more like sisters than coworkers.
“I can go in there and talk to her about anything,” Dusek said. “My family, my children. She'll talk about her kids, her husband. She's my confidant. I just know I can go in that office and just pour it all out to her, or make her laugh, or she makes me laugh. There are no boundaries.”
Here’s what Burnett won’t miss: getting to SM East by 7 a.m. with her makeup on. Instead, she’s looking forward to enjoying cups of coffee in her pajamas — and organizing her house and volunteering part-time.
“Everybody says they'll miss me,” Burnett said. “They aren't going to miss me for more than two hours [laughs]. I've worked long enough, and they have too. You just move on. They don't have to think of me often, just once in a while, fondly.”
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