At West Side School in Harrisburg, where 402 kindergarten through second-grade students fill the hallways each day, the front office is command central—a place where "chaos management," as secretary Andi Brigham puts it, is just part of the daily routine.

Four women form a powerhouse team that keeps this elementary school humming: Brigham, a nine-year office veteran who handles financials, books, and attendance; Jade Smith, the staff absence coordinator responsible for securing substitutes; Angie Williams, who's spent a decade in the office and helps with lunch supervision and bus duty; and Makaylynn Sheldon, the school nurse who manages medications, band-aids, and the special health needs of hundreds of young students.

Their teamwork is something to behold. During a recent interview, the women seamlessly traded off answering questions while simultaneously handling real-time crises—tracking down a student who fell asleep on the bus and coordinating with another school when a child got off at the wrong location.

"I feel like we truly care about the school and our students and the teachers," Brigham explains. "We want to make sure things run as smoothly as possible with lots of different moving parts."

While each has specific responsibilities, their collective effort transcends job descriptions. "I don't think any of us shy from being pulled whichever direction if we see the need," Sheldon notes. "I'll be in the office answering phones, and they'll be giving out ice packs. I wish people knew how much their students are loved."

That love is evident in how well they know the children. Despite having over 400 students in the building, they recognize most by name—sometimes even "first, middle, last" as Brigham points out, smiling at how the youngest ones sometimes mix up the order when introducing themselves.

The team arrives by 7:30 each morning and is officially scheduled until 3:30, but the reality is often different. "Sometimes we'll stay to make sure we're ahead for the week," Sheldon explains. For Smith, who coordinates substitutes, work continues at home: "That happens at home and it happens on weekends... I'm still working even though it's Sunday afternoon."

Their favorite moments reveal the heart behind their work. For Sheldon, it's the five or ten minutes she spends in the lunchroom each day, where students run up for hugs. Smith loves her time in the cafeteria too, where she sees "every single child in the school come through the hot lunch line." Brigham treasures the brief interactions when students pass by the office, while Williams enjoys hearing their stories when they visit.

One special tradition brings particular joy—the Rocket Math song. When students master math facts in first and second grade, they come to the office for recognition, where the staff (and sometimes Principal Dewar) perform a special song and dance:

"Hooray! Hooray! With Rocket Math!
Adding up and taking it away!
Two and two is always four,
Nothing less and nothing more.
You're doing great with Rocket Math today! Hooray!"

Some children dance along, others look mortified, but the celebration makes an impression. It's just one of countless ways these women create a nurturing environment where learning thrives.

As the calendar flips through seasons, these four remain the constant heart of West Side School—answering phones, bandaging knees, finding substitutes, and ensuring every child gets home safely. They go the extra mile not because it's in their job description, but because of who they are.

"We don't know if families realize how much everybody that works with their kids every day really does care for them and love them," Sheldon reflects.

In the organized chaos of elementary education, that love makes all the difference.