As students may have noticed by now, there is a new voice speaking over the loudspeaker, checking late students into school, and marking down absent kids. This July, Mrs. Lauren Bielan took over for Mr. Bob Buesser as the new attendance officer at Pascack Valley.   

After it was announced that Buesser was retiring at the end of the last school year, Bielan knew that she was up for the task.

“I guess just from word of mouth, I heard about [this position],” Bielan said. “I worked in the district for many years as a substitute teacher and so I was aware as to what positions were open.”

Before becoming the attendance officer, Bielan worked three years as a sub and one year as a secretary at George G. White Middle School. Just before taking on this position, Bielan was the program secretary to the PARCC Academy in GGW which is apart of the Pascack Valley High School District.

Both of Bielan’s children, Tommy and Jonathan, went to PV. Her older son, Tommy, graduated in 2014 while her younger son, Jonathan,  graduated in 2017.

“I had two kids come through here so I knew Buesser for seven years as a parent,” Bielan said. And then I knew him for three years as a substitute teacher and I would call in my absences to him.”

When asked about her favorite part of the job so far Bielan said, “I really do love having contact with students.”

“I just want to do a good job. That’s what most people want to do.” Bielan said, “I love the district and just want to be a part of it.”

After the retirement of PV secretary, Ms. Margaret O’Hara, at the end of last school year, Mrs. Jamie Taylor has taken over the position as the secretary for both Mr. John Puccio and Ms. Debbie Squiccimarri. She started this new job in July of this year.

“I handle all the substitutes so whenever a teacher is absent and they need their classes covered, I make sure there is a substitute or I have teachers cover the classes. I handle all of the busing for field trips, making sure field trips are approved by Mr. DeMaio, figuring out all the calendars for the school, all the canvas calendars, the rotation calendars that everyone sees which all the teacher and students have access to, I am in charge of those,” Taylor said. “Whenever someone wants to use the auditorium or the cafeteria for clubs or anything like that, they go to me to make sure everything is available.”

Prior to working at PV, Taylor worked at a dentist office as a treatment coordinator. She was responsible for going through treatment that patients needed and handling their insurance.

Bielan and Taylor are both very excited about their new lives at PV.