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Coldwater Elementary School secretary Shirley Mathewson is Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators Secretary of the Year.
COLDWATER - After hearing an alarm ring out on a recent Thursday afternoon, elementary school mainstay Shirley Mathewson darted out to the playground to find 650 kids and coworkers staring back at her.
No one had fainted or hurt themselves at recess, but something was definitely up.
The radio call for assistance was a ruse to draw Mathewson out before the entire school. Students and staff screamed out in unison "surprise!" before elementary principal Mike Etzler informed Mathewson that she'd been named the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) Secretary of the Year.
Mathewson, completely floored, was handed a plaque and balloons. First grader Kate emerged from the throng to give Mathewson, her grandmother, a vase of flowers.
"They were so happy for me," she said of the students. "I mean, we rejoice over the little things so when there's a big thing we really rejoice."
Shirley Mathewson is presented with a plaque for secretary of the year.
Mathewson said it felt good to to be selected secretary of the year. After all, there are roughly 3,500 elementary schools in Ohio. But even more meaningful was knowing it was the heartfelt letters of Etzler, other staff, a parent and a student that landed her on OAESA's radar.
"I'm thankful that everyone appreciates what I do," she said.
Etzler was effusive in his praise of Mathewson, who after nearly 30 years with the district has become the face of Coldwater Elementary School.
"She's so dedicated and she's the first person that everybody sees and she's an icon in our community," he said. "She goes above and beyond every day."
On top of being an astute, dependable administrator with a trove of knowledge and experience, Mathewson is a good person whom students and staff turn to for comfort, laughter and reassurance, according to Etzler.
"They're my best friends," Mathewson said of her coworkers. "We've cried together. We've had some really good times together."
"She cares about everybody," Etzler said. "She's like everybody's mom. She's everyone's friend. She knows exactly what that person needs when they walk in the door. She just has a knack of knowing that."
Mathewson came on as volunteer before taking a position with the school.
"I started out in the high school and middle school as a study hall monitor and then two years later I came over to the elementary and never left," she said.
Mathewson relished being part of the school system and staying connected with her own children as they advanced through the grades.
"The best part is you always know what's going on, good or bad," she said.
Mathewson said she has formed lasting bonds with students, teachers and administrators over the years. Possessing a keen memory, Mathewson knows the names of the students and eventually got to the point where she could with a high degree of accuracy guess their surname.
"The students I have, I've had their parents and I know their grandparents," she said. "So when someone walks in the door I can ask about their grandparents and make that connection because I've been there that long."
Mathewson said no two days are the same in her line of work.
"You never know who's going to walk into the room and what problem they have," she said.
With that in mind, Mathewson said she approaches each workday with a sense of purpose.
"I go here every day because I want to be here," she said. "You have to start your day with a positive attitude and try to carry that on because out of all these kids someone's going to come in and be sad."
Though she's had the chance to move on to other buildings in the district Mathewson said she's happily stayed put in elementary.
"You fall in love with the people, you fall in love with the job and it's like, why leave?" she said. "Keeps you young."
Mathewson will be honored in June at the 2023 OAESA Professional Conference and Trade Show in Columbus.
