An Everyday Hero

It takes many people to make a school run successfully. At Mansfield High School there are many teachers, paraprofessionals, food service workers, maintenance people, and custodians that professionally do their jobs everyday with a positive attitude and little fanfare. They strive to give their best due to pride and a consistent desire to do what's best for kids. I call these people everyday heroes because they are the heart and soul of a school community and make a difference in so many lives. Debbie McLaughlin was an everyday hero.

There has been a great deal of shock and sadness in the MHS cafeteria in the past week. Last Tuesday Debbie McLaughlin, a Mansfield Food Service worker for the past nine years, unexpectedly collapsed and passed away, presumably from a massive heart attack. She was only 55 years old.

Debbie was an absolute sweetheart and a pleasure to work with. I will never forget her easy-going and affable manner. She was always there to welcome our students with a smile and a greeting of "How are you today, honey?" (everyone was "honey"). When she worked the register at one of the a la carte stations, she was always kind and patient, as it was never a big deal if a student was a dime or quarter short. She always "got it" and always had a heart of gold.

She was one of the first people I met during my first lunch on the first day of school last year. After introducing herself, she proceeded to give me a lay of the land, explaining the flow of how efficient the operation in the MHS cafeteria was, especially in light of how much the student population has grown in recent years. Most of all, she shared with me how much she really loved the kids at MHS, how kind and respectful they were and how they made her job very easy.

I would talk to Debbie on most days. Simple chit-chat about what was on our minds. Over the course of the last year and a half she shared with me all sorts of thoughts about our school and town. We would talk about our families. She shared with me her joy about becoming a grandmother for the first time last year, a beautiful baby girl for her daughter, Shannon. She spoke of the pride she had for her son, Justin, a 17-year-old junior at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School. Our conversations were about everyday, slice-of-life types of things.

It is during these sad, quiet, and reflective times that I am reminded of a lesson I have learned in my life. We tend to focus on the big things- our goals, our dreams, our accomplishments. It's easy to gear our existence toward those things. But in reality, our true worth may be found in the everyday, simple events: how we treat and interact with each other, how we view the world, and the attitude and spirit we project to others. Those are things that really count, the things that we remember. By that measure, Debbie's life was an unqualified success.

Debbie leaves behind two daughters, Shannon and Melissa, and her son, Justin. During this difficult time I ask you to keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.