Original secretary for Scarselli retires

There is no set job description for an elementary school head secretary and Maria Martin said there were no set hours in her job at Scarselli Elementary.

"I never leave when I'm supposed to," Martin said. "I stay until my desk is cleaned off. We do whatever it takes to keep the school and teachers going."

Martin is retiring after more than 20 years with the Douglas County School District and is looking forward to spending time with her family. She and her husband Jack Martin have a home on 20 acres just 10 minutes from Scarselli.

"We have a farm - cows, sheep and Tequila, a 30-year-old quarter horse - on 20 acres. I truly love it," said Martin. "The No. 1 thing is to spend time with my family."

The Martins have two daughters and three grandchildren and Martin plans to keep up on their soccer games.

Martin started as a part-time aide at Meneley Elementary in 1984, has been at Scarselli since 1988 and was the Douglas County Classified Employee of the Year in 1998.

"Maria's been here since it opened," said Scarselli Principal Brandon Swain. "People come and go but she's been our rock. She's done this job so long, it makes my job easier. She lets me believe I'm boss."

Swain said you only get one chance to make a first impression and that Martin is professional and greets everyone with a pleasant face.

"People always comment on how well things run here and it's a reflection of what Maria does in the front office," he said. "Everyone knows her and trusts her."

Head custodian Hayward Allsip has known Martin for 18 years and calls her his "morning buddy."

"We're the first ones here at 6:30 a.m.," said Allsip. "I answer phones and open up with her. We talk about the day's events. She can multi-task better than anyone I've ever seen and she's the nicest person I've ever known."

Martin said she can come back to visit the school whenever she wants.

"It's all about people," said Martin. "I love being with the people and the kids. "It's going to hard to slow down after such a hard pace, but I won't miss the paper work."