Olympic Heights High School isn’t comprised of just administrators, teachers, and students; other hardworking faculty members who we may not see daily deserve recognition for their efforts to keep our school up and running. While working behind the scenes of what we see day-to-day, our guidance counselors, school nurse, police officers, kitchen staff, and custodial crew go above and beyond in their fields, making Olympic Heights the pride of Boca. OH students often don’t realize the lengths these heroes go through to keep our school safe, healthy, and functioning. Let’s acknowledge a few of the dedicated staff who are critical in ensuring Olympic Heights is a well-oiled machine.
Counselor’s Corner
The OH guidance team consists of eight team members who support our students. In particular, Raveena Singh, who is in her third year as an Olympic Heights guidance counselor, maintains high goals for her students. Singh wants to be an adamant part of students’ school careers and provide them the counseling and support she feels she never had as a high school student. “Every day looks different, as every student is unique and their needs are unique,” Singh remarks. There is no specific outline for each day, so every day presents new challenges. Singh also believes that most students don’t realize how much work goes into graduation and college preparation as a school counselor. The hardest part of her job is dealing with students who are struggling, adding that she deeply cares about their well-being. This motivates Singh to truly go the extra mile to ensure that students are on the right track academically and emotionally.
School Safety
School Resource Officer Elizabeth Rupp has only been at Olympic Heights for three short years, yet she has been working hard to make a profound impact on all the students’ and the teachers’ safety. Rupp’s passion for her job and commitment to having the honor of serving her community motivates her to perform her job every day. Some unique facts about Officer Rupp include her being a former FSU cheerleader and raising two boys who followed in her footsteps by working in the law enforcement field. Officer Rupp’s main mission when keeping the school safe is to make sure that no one enters the campus who is not permitted to. When it comes to dealing with students who feel negatively towards law enforcement, she attempts to gain students’ trust by reminding them that she is there for them. Officer Rupp is also currently training a new Palm Beach County School police officer.
Behind the Counter
One of the most unsung heroes of Olympic Heights is our kitchen staff, who feed over a thousand students each day. Olympic Heights Cafeteria Manager Fatosha Johnson has been a member of the OH team since 1998, making this her 27th year. Johnson loves her job and enjoys putting a smile on kids’ faces even more. “A typical day for me is getting here at 5:00 AM every morning, turning on all the equipment, checking my emails, checking in all the early deliveries, and hoping no one calls in [sick],” reveals Johnson. She expresses that working in a kitchen is actually a very difficult job, for the health of students, the safety of food temperature, and equipment cleanliness fall into her hands. Johnson remarks that the hardest part of her job is not knowing if some students will eat anything more than one meal per day. Her favorite school lunch to make is pizza, adding that it doesn’t take much to prepare and is a very popular dish. Although her job entails a lot of cooking and time in the kitchen, she can take a break from cooking after work hours because her husband prepares the food at home.
Health Hero
Our very own school nurse, Karin Banuchi, has worked at Olympic Heights for three years. Her love for the kids and staff motivates her. Day-to-day curveballs are thrown at her, such as simple ailments to seizures to broken bones. Most people don’t realize the amount of paperwork and documentation that a school nurse must do; they don’t just give out ice packs and Band-Aids. The hardest part of Nurse Karin’s job is the fact that she has to run the show all by herself. The National Association of School Nurses recommends one nurse for every 750 students, so with a student population of over 2100, she keeps busy. The hardest situations she’s ever had to deal with were a student going into cardiac arrest during her first year at OH and another student overdosing at a nearby middle school a few years prior. Luckily, the most common ailments that students endure are headaches and cold symptoms.
Guardians of the Halls
Another group of OH superheroes is our custodial crew. They ensure our students have a clean and healthy campus. Our campus is so spotless that our high school was recognized as the cleanest high school in Palm Beach County for the month of October.
Without these dedicated employees, our school just wouldn’t function. We are so luck that they ensure a steady and successful operation for the good of Olympic Heights.
