At Steinert High School, we have many wonderful staff members. One of these staff members is Dawn Papale, one of the secretaries. She does not often get the attention, but she wears many hats and plays a very important role for students and staff in the school community.

Dawn has been working for Hamilton schools since September of 1999, starting out as a substitute. She then went to Sunnybrae and subbed there for a few years before coming to Steinert. She “worked in attendance and then guidance and then the main office.” She has been working at Steinert since 2013. While working as a secretary, she helps out with whatever comes in, such as “laptops, lockers, phone calls, working papers.” She also likes to be busy during her job.

Dawn first got involved in the robotics team 12 years ago. Her son got involved as a freshman and was on it all four years. Once he graduated, “he mentored when he was in college.” She is now the team advisor which she finds as an interesting and enjoyable role. Her biggest challenge this year came when the robotics team realized they were in need of $900 worth of specific tools or they would not be able to build their robot. Dawn sprung into action. She made a fundraiser to help get the equipment that the team needed. She found out that there was this thing called Donar Choose which you “create an account and you put in what you need” which would have to be things from Amazon. Each time they got a donation, it would be doubled. Within a week, they got everything that they needed to get the season underway. And she did it in one week’s time.

Mr. Sinkleris commented, “When you have a problem of any sort, the first person to go to, whether you are a student or a staff member, is Dawn. 99 out of 100 times, she can solve it, and she does it with kindness and understanding. When you go to her, she gives you and your problem the attention it needs, and she does so without complaint. We are very lucky to have her as part of our school community.”