Alex Lopez

Communications senior Valeria Rivadeneira enjoys Student Services secretary Lynnn Berryman’s anecdotes about strange items left at lost and found. For example, once she found a mannequin with a football for its head.

Student Services secretary Lynn Berryman works diligently to achieve the impossible with only the aid of a headset, phone and computer. Seeing her work over the years has led me to wonder whether Ms. Berryman ever leaves campus or whether it’s possible that she’s a full-time inhabitant of Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

 I chose to answer all these questions for myself by taking on a role that few could handle. I shadowed Ms. Berryman to experience what her job is like on a daily basis and along the way, I acquired a profound appreciation for all she does.

I would argue that Ms. Berryman is the most popular person on campus; if you don’t believe me, just walk into Building 1 where you can observe for yourself the crowd of students closely huddled around her desk. If you look carefully, they resemble a herd of wild animals gathered around a watering hole; only she can quench their thirst for parking decals, late passes, CityPlace lunch IDs and a plethora of forms and permission slips you’ve probably never heard of.

In order to fully appreciate what Ms. Berryman does every day, I got to school at the same time she does, or at least I tried to. I arrived at Dreyfoos at 6:40 a.m.,—almost two hours earlier than usual—with my loyal photographer, communications senior Alexandra Lopez. We pulled in to school to find that Ms. Berryman’s car was one of only two in the dark parking lot.

Although she’s technically supposed to work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, she comes in an hour and a half early because of the limited amount of time she has to accomplish everything.

 “I’m supposed to [start] attendance [at] 7:30 a.m. but by then I’m already busy,” Ms. Berryman said. “[6 a.m.] is the only time it’s quiet, my shutters are closed and nobody’s around.”

I watched and learned as she systematically listened to the attendance voicemail and put in one excused absence after another. She then proceeded to gather a list of students, put in their SRAs, sort out announcements, update change of address forms and throw out dated items—all before 7:30 a.m.

Exactly half an hour later, people started to pour in. While others dragged themselves in through the door with baggy eyes and ruffled hair, Ms. Berryman took calls, helped volunteers sign in, directed substitute teachers to their classrooms and reported which buses were late over her walkie-talkie.

Despite the chaotic look of Ms. Berryman’s office, after shadowing her for a few hours, I realized that everything functions on “the Berryman system.” For example, lunchboxes and other potentially smelly objects go on the counter facing north, documents needed at a glance go on the small stand in front of her computer, homework that gets dropped off by parents goes on top the late pass machine, textbooks go next to the intercom phone and so on. On top of everything, Ms. Berryman is also in charge of lost-and-found. Items get stored under the Berryman system as well, however, some items remain more lost than found. Each semester she donates everything that has not been claimed. She takes the glasses that never return to their owners and donates them to a charity that sends them to developing countries; the clothing and lunchboxes, she drives to Goodwill herself.

“If I can take it, I will take it,” Ms. Berryman said. “I don’t believe in wasting things.”

Spending a substantial amount of time behind Ms. Berryman’s desk made me realize that her office is more than just a working space— it is a museum of its own kind, filled with all sorts of memorabilia, some dating back almost 23 years.

“Aside from some pictures, I never brought much to decorate [my office] with,” Ms. Berryman said. “It’s all stuff I’ve acquired throughout the years.”

I learned the story behind many of the items that decorate Ms. Berryman’s office, from the tiny, student-made sculptures that sit on the shelves, to the different sets of themed curtains she made herself that she changes as the seasons pass.

My favorite relic, however, is framed and hanging high up on the wall. It dates back to when the restaurant Cracker Barrel opened up. Apparently, several students went out to breakfast and were late to school so rather than facing an unexcused tardy, they wrote an ingenious note on notebook paper and had various people sign it.

“The waiter signed it,” Ms. Berryman said. “A minister signed it too and I don’t remember who else.”

Living a day in her shoes helped me understand what Assistant Principal Dan Stafford means when he says that Ms. Berryman runs the entire school. From managing the bell system, selling merchandise, collecting permission slips and handing out forms, to supervising lost-and-found, handling vendor information and taking attendance, Ms. Berryman seems to do it all and in my opinion, nobody could do it better.