When it’s time to let go of your child and send them off to school, it can be difficult for some parents to let go. Your little baby is growing up and facing the outside world on their own. When it’s time to send them off, you want the best possible experience for them. At South School that experience starts with the first face you see when you enter the school. That is the face of secretary Susie Van Ostrand.

Susie is a hometown girl born and raised. She attended South and Pearce grade schools and graduated in the last class at Chillicothe High School in 1976. As a senior, Susie worked co-op for the central office learning about and handling accounting for the district. Shortly after she graduated she and another hometown boy, the love of her life, Bob Van Ostrand married and settled down in Chillicothe. Having no higher schooling besides her co-op accounting background at the school, she applied for and was hired by the accounting department of Foster and Gallagher where she honed her skills in accounting. Later she worked for Hunzeker Services for a few years.

When she and Bob decided to adopt children, Susie made the decision to stay home to raise her family for 16 years while running her own daycare. They have three children—Theran 37, Shayna 27, and Logan 26—all of which have flown the nest and are on their own. While raising their own kids they also fostered many kids during those years.

When her youngest was in first grade she applied for a job at South School. She was hired first as a teacher’s aide, then as the librarian then secretary. It was a job she fell in love with and never left. Altogether Susie has been at the school for 21 years. She loves her job and looks forward to going to work every day. “No day is the same and you never know what the day has in store for you.” She loves all the kids and interacts with them all day long. From bandaging knees to holding a crying or scared child and assuring them it will be alright, she is always there to comfort them. She said she also loves working with the parents; making them feel comfortable and assuring them that their children are in a safe environment. There is never anything Susie won’t do for the kids. She is at the school early and stays late. All the extra activities they have at the school she is involved in, too. Susie also trys to make the teacher’s lives easier. “They have a hard job and sometimes they just need a hand,” and when they do, Susie is always there with her arm outstretched ready to help do whatever she can to ease their load.

In the past, Susie has sewn costumes for Jill’s and Lorelei’s dance studios, and been a Sunday school teacher at the Methodist Church. For years she was active in the Chillicothe Women’s Club and has always worked with the Parent Teachers Organization throughout the years at the school.

In 2008 her husband was diagnosed with Mesothelioma—a cancerous tumor of the tissues that lines the lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs. After a courageous battle, this insidious disease took his life in 2008.

Asked why she has stayed at the school so long she replied, “I love my job at this first-class school. The staff is excellent and my boss, Shaun Grant, is the best person to work for. He is a caring, nurturing man that I have had the privilege to work with over the past years. I couldn’t ask for a better boss. 

Last year Susie was awarded the Chet Coffey Award. This award recognizes a staff member who exemplify Chet’s dedication to the IVC School District and our students with an enthusiastic caring and “can do” attitude.

“This school is like a big family. Everyone cares about each other and about OUR kids,” Susie explains. She admits it’s a lot of work sometimes, but so worth it. “Every day is a new opportunity to impact the life of a child.”

Principal Shaun Grant can’t say enough good about her. “She always goes above and beyond what is needed. She is my right hand, and it would be very difficult to run this school without her,” he admits.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to this woman who nurtures our children and helps set them on the right path. Thank you, Susie, for all the time and love you pour into our kids at South School. Your dedication will never be forgotten.