Every school has people who make it run, even if their work is often behind the scenes. At Salem Community High School, that steady presence comes from two women who rarely seek the spotlight but shape the school day in ways large and small: office secretaries Nikki Niepoetter and Mallory Knaak.

Together, they are the calm in the storm, the voices on the phone, and the faces most often seen by parents, students, and community members who pass through the office doors. “You’re immediately going as soon as you walk in the door,” Mallory explained. “Voicemails, attendance, phone calls from parents, kids signing in, teachers needing information—it’s a lot of moving puzzle pieces, constantly fitting together to try and make the day seamless.”

Nikki, who has been in the main office for five years after starting as a general studies secretary, manages everything that doesn’t fall under attendance or discipline. From coordinating calendars to preparing state lunch and breakfast reports, she calls it “a lot of little things” that add up to big responsibility. “It’s everything that has to get done so teachers can teach and administrators can lead,” she said.

Mallory, in her second year at Salem Community High School after working as an aide at Rome Grade School, handles attendance and discipline records. That means entering referrals, tracking detentions, and keeping communication flowing between teachers, students, and administrators. “I like being behind the scenes,” she said, “but sometimes we’re front and center because we’re the first people others call.”

The role brings unexpected humor, too. “Kindergarten kids and high school kids are kind of the same level,” Mallory joked. “Not in a bad way—just in how they need attention and reminders. Both ends of the spectrum can be pretty self-focused.” Nikki laughed in agreement.

The two also share how demanding the pace can be. “You go home at the end of the day and need 10 or 15 minutes of decompression,” Nikki admitted. “No noise, no talking. Just a little time before you’re ready to re-engage.” Mallory, whose husband works from home, laughed that he is usually ready to chat the minute she walks in the door. “I’m like, just give me a little bit, buddy. Wait a minute.”

For Nikki, Salem became home after moving from San Jose, California, in 2000. She raised two children who both graduated from Salem Community High School and appreciates the slower pace and close-knit community. “I’m glad my kids grew up here instead of in San Jose,” she said. “Here you know your neighbors, and people care about each other.”

Mallory, by contrast, is Salem through and through. She grew up on Lazy Acre Road, now lives just down the road from her parents, and has a daughter who is a freshman at the high school. “Half of my teachers are still here,” she said. “It just feels like home. It feels like family.”

That sense of family extends to the staff. Both Nikki and Mallory describe a culture where colleagues support one another, whether it’s covering a duty or simply offering a place to regroup on a tough day. “If you’re having a rough moment, you can duck into a classroom and know you’ll be welcome,” Nikki said.

They’ve also seen firsthand how deeply the community cares about the school. Visitors returning for reunions or funerals often stop by hoping for a tour, wanting to relive their own high school memories. While safety rules prevent wandering the halls during the school day, the requests remind Nikki and Mallory how much Salem Community High School means to generations of families.

And with new leadership in Principal Clint Wolfe and Assistant Principal Kelsey Pogue, they sense fresh energy. “The faculty fan club is such a cool idea,” Nikki said. “Kids are going to love seeing staff out at events.” Mallory nodded. “Not just at Walmart—you’ll see them supporting students in new ways. That’s a big win.”

For both women, the job is demanding, sometimes exhausting, and often invisible. Yet they carry it with quiet pride. “We don’t need the spotlight,” Mallory said. “But we know we’re helping the whole system work.”

In a school defined by Wildcat pride and community ties, Nikki Niepoetter and Mallory Knaak embody the truth that while teachers teach and administrators lead, the rhythm of the day rests in many unseen hands. And without them, the school wouldn’t run nearly as smoothly.