The word cookie emotes strong feelings from everyone. When we think of the word we think of warmth, sweetness. This is amplified in the minds of Dreyfoos students because of our retired Media Center Specialist, Cookie Davis, the living embodiment of warmth and sweetness.

“I will miss all the students. [They are] talented, smart, and just fun to be around,” Ms. Cookie said about her relationship with the student body at Dreyfoos. Her amicable relationship with students is most exemplified by the fact that no one calls her Ms. Davis, but referred to her as “Ms. Cookie.”

“Ms. Cookie is more than our coach; she is our strongest supporter. She encourages us to do our best, and after the televised battle, she takes us to Sweet Tomato and pays for our lunch,” communications senior Uma Raja said. “She is so kind, and I’m so glad we got closer from Battle of the Books.”

Ms. Cookie has retired after 13 years at Dreyfoos and her absence will be a big adjustment for everyone. She will especially leave a special place in the memory of her co-workers. An example of her gentle nature is shown in her friendship with science teacher Sherry Little.

“Every morning we went to breakfast at Nick’s Diner,” Ms. Little said. “We knew all the waitresses and sometimes they gave us free breakfast.”

Beyond having solid relationships with Dreyfoos faculty, Ms. Cookie had a special place in her heart for her job.

“During the time I was at Dreyfoos [my daughter] graduated, went to college, and became a teacher too. We both share special memories of DSOA,” Ms. Cookie said.

Over the thirteen years that Ms. Cookie worked at Dreyfoos, big changes were happening within the school, as well as around it.

“When I first started, there was only one computer lab in the library. Classes signed up to use the lab for research projects,” Ms. Cookie said. “Now that we have an additional lab and there are laptop carts all over the school, classes do not come to the Media Center as often.  Also, students use computer resources and online databases rather than books.”

Despite these changes, Cookie Davis kept her attitude toward her job the same and kept in mind the objectives that she had from the start.

“A real lady, I use that word to mean something special,” Media Center Clerk Eleanor Friedman said. “Above all, [Ms. Cookie] tried to make the Media Center a place where students would want to come, always made them feel at home and comfortable.”

This is something Ms. Cookie was known for as well as coordinating Battle of the Books, a club at Dreyfoos that encourages students to read and prove their knowledge of books at televised competitions.

“She was an enthusiastic supporter of Battle of the Books, and under her, Dreyfoos won every year, and we’re going to win this year too,” said Ms. Friedman.

It was also her job to make sure the freshmen were well acquainted with the media center, as well as anyone else who would stop by.

Cookie Davis had many responsibilities at Dreyfoos, and it’s hard to say which one we’ll miss her for the most. We can be certain that we’ll miss her kind demeanor and can-do attitude.