“Helping Hands” February Recipient: Leigh Haden

You’ve probably heard of the “Staff Member of the Month” awards, but you might be surprised to learn that FCHS has a new monthly award for staff: “Helping Hands of the Month.” February’s recipient is Leigh Haden, the Attendance Officer for Fluvanna County High School, and this is her first year in that position.

The biggest difference between “Staff Member of the Month” and “Helping Hands” is that the former is picked by the student body, whereas the administration chooses who gets the latter award.

Haden says this is the first time she has ever received an award like this. “I like being a part of something, and being in the Attendance Office puts me right in the middle of what is happening in the school,” she said.

For about ten years before she had children, Haden was a legal secretary. Before taking the position as Attendance Officer, she was a substitute teacher for six years, most of which were spent at FCHS.

Having been a substitute teacher for so long makes Haden’s current job easier because she already knows many of the students at FCHS. “I have watched our now seniors grow from little 6th graders at the old middle school to graduating seniors this year,” she said.

Her daily duties include producing the early dismissal list, a report that lists all the students that check in late or are absent, and sending out all the phone calls to houses when students are absent. She is also the voice you’ll hear on many of the robocalls that specifically relate to the high school.

Her biggest challenge is making sure that all classes have either a substitute or a teacher at all times, since another major component of her job involves coordinating the high school’s substitutes. If a teacher calls in sick first thing in the morning, Haden is responsible for either getting a substitute or arranging for teachers to cover the class.

In her free time outside of school, Haden enjoys attending the different sports activities of her son, FCHS sophomore Matthew Haden.  She also likes to make quilts.