Patti Marcinko has been serving as the Director of Student Services at OH for 24 years, but will be retiring before the start of the next school year. After being in the district since 1990, her absence will be a huge loss for the Panther community.
According to Marcinko, it was the relationships with people that kept her at OH. “It goes back to those relationships that, over the course of time, I just couldn’t see myself going anywhere else,” said Marcinko.
As Director of Student Services, Marcinko serves the school by advising students and overseeing counselors and social workers, as well as programs like the College and Career Center, which is no easy feat.
“It’s never the same day twice. It’s a variety of things… helping people make decisions, if there’s an issue, if there’s a student with a question, it often comes to me to figure out an answer. So, it’s never a dull moment,” said Marcinko.
Marcinko serves as both a counselor and site advisor for OH’s AVID program as well. Her biggest impact is apparent in the students’ lives she has touched, especially her senior students.
“I feel like she’s honestly helped me with my college decision because our AVID team is specifically a college readiness program, and I feel like she’s been with me through my whole college decision process,” said AVID senior Shaniya Love. “Since this is her last year here, we kind of shared our senior year together.”
Marcinko helps not only students but staff members as well. Her impact is seen and felt every day in the student services office.
“She makes our environment in our office every day very relaxed, I feel like everyone feels very comfortable and safe,” said OH counselor April Ponte. “We deal with a lot of heavy things sometimes and a lot of stressful work, but she definitely tries to still make sure to keep our spirits up.”
One of the most common compliments to Marcinko’s work is how reliable she is and how she makes students feel cared for. Sometimes, the most important thing for a student is to feel seen and valued, and she helps students to feel that every day.
“I honestly feel like [the most missed thing about her will be] her spirit,” said Love. “It’s kind of hard to find teachers who actually love what they do and actually wanna show up and be there, and I feel like it’s gonna be greatly missed.”
Her positive energy and presence at OH is something many community members will miss most after her retirement.
“You always see her with a smile,” said AVID senior Noe Parra, “I’ve never seen her have a bad day. She’s always there for the students.”
Looking forward, current counselor Stacey Baker will be taking over as Director of Student Services for next year, which could mean some slight changes for OH.
“She’s very tech savvy,” said Ponte. “Something new that we’re going to see is a lot of spreadsheets, that’s really her thing, and she’s really good at that. So maybe just more technology…will be something integrated in our department, but I think a lot of it will still be the same.”
For Marcinko, some slightly more exciting plans are in place.
“I’m gonna travel a little bit and after that, take a break and figure out what I wanna do with the rest of my life,” said Marcinko.
OH is very grateful to have had Marcinko as long as she stayed, and her work will be missed greatly as she moves into the next, no doubt exciting, phase of her life.
“I’m really excited to see where [the Student Services Department] is heading, you always want to leave a place as good as you found it or hopefully better,” said Marcinko.
I am a senior at OH and so excited to be a Managing and Opinions Section Editor this year! I love working on 42Fifty, but I am also very involved in band and numerous honor societies here. Looking forward to doing great work this year!
[…] pictured in the center, walks up to receive his diploma. The reading of 710 graduate names by retiring Student Services Director Patti Marcinko and World Languages Department Chair Holly Fournier took approximately one hour. Credit: Ethan […]