“Will the following students please come to the office…” The familiar voice of WHS secretary Judy Courchine crackles over the intercom countless times a day; however, these are the last days students will hear it.

Courchine is retiring at the end of this school year after 11 years of working at the WHS front desk.

A WHS graduate and Wayland resident, Courchine said she will miss seeing students she knows outside of school. She has worked for the Wayland school district for the past 22 years.

“I often see a lot of students at their jobs, whether it’s a restaurant or at the mall, and it’s nice to be able to recognize them and know them. I won’t know them after I retire,” Courchine said.

Over the years, Courchine has enjoyed talking to and getting to know students, parents and teachers.

“Some students actually come in and visit on a daily basis or just come by and say, ‘hi,'” Courchine said. “I’m a very social person, so I enjoy the social aspect of seeing people.”

Courchine has seen many students come and go during her time at WHS and will miss this aspect of her job as well.

“It takes a lot of years to get to know the personalities,” Courchine said. “Having been here 11 [years], I’ve started and ended with a lot of families.”

During her time at WHS, some memories in particular stand out, such as being asked to stand in for an actor in rehearsals of WHSTE’s production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’

“Being on stage instead of being in the audience, even though it was a rehearsal, was so much fun,” Courchine said. “I have attended all the theater performances that [drama teacher Richard] Weingartner has put on since about 1993, and I’ve always been the audience.”

She also recalled a year when the school’s concert choir came into the front office on her birthday and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.

When Courchine first came to WHS, the new school had not been built yet, and the front office on the old campus was not as accessible.

“Being in this office in the new school rather than the old office is much nicer because I get to see more people,” Courchine said. “We were in a little basement over there. It wasn’t as open to seeing everybody.”

Courchine’s presence in the community has extended beyond her job at the high school. Wellness teacher John Berry, another WHS graduate, first met Courchine at a local church when he was a child.

“She was exactly the same as she is now — funny, nice, energetic, down-to-earth,” Berry said. “One thing I’ve learned working with her is how hard she works and how serious she is about her job, but at the same time, she still keeps it fun, and she keeps her personality involved.”

Retiring is the next step for Courchine.

“Retirement is a third chapter of your life, and if I wanted to keep working, I’d keep working here,” Courchine said. “I don’t want to work on a daily basis.”

She plans to celebrate her retirement by going on a cruise with a friend, whom she has known since they attended WHS together.