Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Anna Schluneger stands in front of the office window of Colfax High School where she spent the past nine years.
Last week, she gathered her granddaughter’s artwork and the rest of her belongings in a small Bank of Whitman plastic bag. On Tuesday, she turned in her key to the Colfax School District office after 30 years.
Since 1983, the voice on the phone and the face in the window as people walked into the high school or elementary school was hers.
Anna Schluneger retired after nine years as secretary at Colfax High School. She was a secretary at Jennings Elementary School for 21 years before the move to the high school.
In the past two weeks, she started thinking something she never had much before. The school year would begin again for her on Aug. 13.
“I just realized I could not go back,” said Schluneger, 62. “I could not physically and mentally be ready to go back.”
For the past three years, her job has grown. Following the retirement of Barb Strevy in 2009, Schluneger took over her position as Attendance and Athletic Secretary since Strevy was not replaced. Then, in the past two years, another 100 students were added to the workload with the addition of the seventh and eighth grades in the high school building.
“I absolutely love the children. There’s just too many of them,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll miss the people but not the work.”
All told, Schluneger handled daily attendance reports, A.S.B. and lunch receipts and corresponding daily deposits, answered the phone and more.
“The school goes through an incredible amount of money,” she said.
Schluneger worked for six different principals, from Jim Rosenbeck, Mike Morgan (interim) and Rich Hilty at Jennings to Michael Morgan, Gary Weitz and Buck Marsh at the high school.
She now retires to concentrate on her other job with Kincaid Real Estate, for which she has worked evenings and weekends since 2005.
“I’ll just do one job for awhile,” Schluneger said. “Anybody sitting in a chair for 30 years, it’s time for some new blood.”
Over her time in the Colfax district, she raised two children with husband Paul and has seen five grandchildren attend local schools.
“My original reason, and the best reason for anyone to work at a school, is that I was at work when my kids were in school and I was home when they were home,” Schluneger said.
Her job was a 200-day contract, meaning that it started 10 days before school began and ran 10 days after it dismissed.
Over her career, she also served in several roles for the district’s classified staff union, from president to treasurer.
Anna Therrien Schluneger came to Colfax with her family as a yougster and graduated from high school with the class of 1969. Her daughter, Lori, graduated from C.H.S. in 1988 and son, Travis, in 1993. Husband Paul was in the class of 1967.
Schluneger said the highlight of her job was clear.
“Absolutely no doubt about it, the kids. A constant source of entertainment and joy,” she said.
She also enjoyed the parents.
“Parents are awesome. I wish I had more time with them, but I never met a parent that didn’t want the best for their kid,” she said.
In retiring to her job in real estate, Schluneger said she will be glad for the extra time in the morning.
“It’s gonna be fun to sit down at home with my coffee and read the newspaper, and then go the office,” she said.
The Colfax district posted her job opening this week.
“It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for someone I think they’ll really enjoy,” Schluneger said. “Now my mind can forget all my passwords.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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