April Anderson of the School Board Attorney’s office receives recognition from HAEOP

April Anderson, paralegal in the school board attorney’s office, was honored by the Hampton Association of Educational Office Professionals (HAEOP) on January 10, 2024. HAEOP president Joy Charbonneau, HAEOP members, and school board attorney Joi Brown surprised Anderson at her office.

She was nominated by Brown who said the following, “April has a very unique role within the division. She has to be an administrative assistant for all of the school-related tasks, but she must also be a strong and knowledgeable paralegal to help run our legal office. She does a great job and is very patient, which balances out my impatience. She is also slow to anger and never wants to hurt anyone's feelings, which also balances out my directness. April is my right hand. Coming into this role as school board attorney was very different from being in private practice. She is always quick to help and take on any tasks I ask of her. She is well organized, and I would not have been able to transition smoothly without her. I task her with a lot (especially all of the technology projects), and she does them promptly and without complaining.”

The recognition was created by HAEOP in the 2022-2023 school year as a way to recognize employees. Any employee in the school division can nominate any office professional to be recognized and state why this person is deserving of the recognition. Nominations are reviewed each month and the winning recipient is chosen at random. Members of HAEOP then go to the winner’s school or office and surprise them with a gift basket.