Every year National Women’s History Month is celebrated during March, when women get recognized for their hard work and dedication for shaping society.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2020-21 women made up 77 percent of individuals working in the education sector.
Throughout the halls of Emmaus High School, students interact with numerous female staff on a daily basis, from the staff in the building to teachers to administrators and the principal.
Kass Durante: EHS Main Office
As one enters the EHS main office, they’re greeted with a warm ‘Hello’ from Kass Durante, the greeter of the EHS main office. Durante has worked for the East Penn School District for 21 years, transitioning throughout both the middle schools and the high school.
“Maybe it’s just a smile, maybe it’s a really silly, bad joke. Maybe it’s just like, ‘Hey Good morning,’” Durante said, in response to her relations with the students.
Every day, Durante handles a fast-paced cycle of numerous students, parents, and faculty. She enjoys helping others through her talkative spirit.
“Somebody comes in, they’re crying. I want to calm them down. Someone comes in, they’re happy. I want to congratulate them,” Durante said, expressing her heartfelt appreciation for others.
Outside of the main office, Durante often gives back to the community through her generous spirit. She spends her days volunteering at Saint Ann’s Church with the Helping Hands program, which most recently created Easter baskets for families in need. As well as volunteering, she spends her days growing plants and creating homegrown meals.
“Time is such a precious gift, and I think people forget that,” Durante said. “[I] might not be able to give money or fancy presents, but I can give my time, and I love doing it.”
Abigayl Lutz: EHS Hall Monitor
Throughout the hallways of EHS, multiple monitors are spotted maintaining the halls and the students travelling through. However, many students have found a dislike towards them. Junior Lindsay Heiserman agrees with this idea as she faced some issues when traveling the halls.
“The staff also can be disrespectful,” Heiserman said. “Just depending on their mood or the day.”
However, Abigayl Lutz, a hallway and study hall monitor, sees the light of bonding with students whether they follow the rules or not.
“I would just say that there are students that sometimes try to not follow the rules, but usually it’s easily recorrected,” Lutz said.
During her interactions with the students, Lutz enjoys the ability to work alongside the students by talking with them.
“I get to be with the students and get to build relationships with them in a different way than the teachers,” Lutz said, with joy when speaking about her profession.
Danielle Mason: EHS Cafeteria
Nationally, around 29.6 million students purchased school lunch in 2024, according to USDA. The cafeteria for many schools reflects a place for students to find a positive sense of belonging and a mental break during their school day.
At EHS, Danielle Mason, also known as Danie, is a part-time food service cafeteria worker who enjoys her daily interactions with the students as they walk through her register.
“Some kids who come to my line regularly, who look for me, and that really makes my day,” Mason said, when discussing her favorite parts of her day.
One student in particular is junior Jackson Kraft, who often visits Mason and her coworkers in the cafeteria.
“The cafeteria staff are very nice. I say hi to some of them,” Kraft said. “They see my name every single day.”
As a food service worker, Mason describes the daily tasks needed for the cafeteria. Certain tasks are creating the pizzas, cutting fruits and vegetables, creating the main dish of the day, and making salads and sandwiches in preparation for the students.
“We all rotate jobs so that we each do a little of everything, and then we can cover each other,” Mason said.
Although Durante, Lutz, and Mason are only three female workers at EHS. They highlight their love and enjoyment of helping others through their jobs. The women at EHS tirelessly bring excitement and support to creating new bonds with the students and without the constant dedication of the female workers, EHS will not be completed.
“As far as I’m concerned, there are no bad children. Everybody’s good,” Durante said. “Maybe they made a bad choice. So I don’t want to put anybody in a basket.”
