Giving your boss a parking ticket may not be a common approach to take when starting a new job, but FHC’s new security officer Lisa Stukkie unintentionally seized this opportunity.
“I gave [principal] Steve Passinault a [parking] ticket,” Stukkie said. “I didn’t know it was his car. Then, I was walking out with [English teacher] John Fisher, and he asked me how my day was going. I said I issued a lot of tickets today, and he said he had to have a good laugh. And I said, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘Because you gave one to Passinault.’”
Although it was not on purpose, the tickets given to Passinault and other staff members certainly showcase Stukkie’s hard work.
Before occupying the open security position, Stukkie worked in the district’s food service building for 12 years. However, an injury sustained last November by falling from her ladder created the requisite for change.
In her short time here, Stukkie has already begun to experience the heartening environment of FHC.
“I’ve only been here four weeks. So far, what I’ve gathered [is that it] feels like the staff isn’t just here to teach [students] from a book,” Stukkie said. “They also want to teach you life lessons, which teenagers don’t understand until later in life [when they] look back and are like, ‘Oh that teacher wasn’t nagging me because they wanted to nag on me. They were really trained to help me through a difficult situation or help me be a better person or be more prepared for college.’”
Although Stukkie’s role in the school is unlike that of a teacher, she still hopes to make connections with students in other ways.
She knows some students, particularly athletes, through working at sports events and having her own kids go through the school, but she hopes to get to know more through attending non-athletic events.
“I like being around students. I like it when I work the sporting events,” Stukkie said. “[For example], I was at the JV football game, and then as the players came in, I could say ‘that was a great game’ or ‘that was a great interception,’ and with the soccer players, I can say ‘that was a great goal.’ That way, I can interact more with them. That’s why I want to start going to the play or going to a band concert, so I can get to know those kids as well.”
By talking with more and more students, Stukkie can connect with a multitude of them and grow to be a part of their school experience.
“I hope [students] see me as a security officer, but I also want to interact with them,” Stukkie said. “[I want to] not just be looked at like the mean security officer who gives out tickets or tells them they have to leave the bathroom. Hopefully, I have some conversations with some kids. Some of the ones that come out at lunch are getting to know me better, and I’m getting to know them.”
This fondness for students and kids was not just recently established by this new job, instead, it has been evident since Stukkie was young.
She originally aimed to be a social worker and has found other ways to incorporate that passion into her life such as doing childcare during the summer.
“Looking back, I probably should have pursued the social work,” Stukkie said. “I have a heart for kids, and I love doing childcare in the summer. [I love] getting to know the kids and being able to be there for them. Some have a harder home life than others, and I try to give those kids the special attention that they need.”
Whether she’s incidentally giving staff members parking tickets or conversing with as many students as she can, Stukkie has found a way to impact the FHC community through her admiration for students and the school as a whole.
“The community tailgate is next week, as always,” Stukkie said. “I find [that] when I’m working a football game or a basketball game, [so] many parents come back whose kids aren’t even still here. They still support the athletic program, and they support the school and the community as a whole. When we do the homecoming parade, [so] many people come out, and there are alumni coming back to different things. I think all three Forest Hills high schools do a really good job with that family feeling.”
