Faculty Farewell: Kris Meeker

MHS is saying goodbye to the backbone of Student Services, Kris Meeker. Explore her career over the years, along with her retirement plans.

Lanie Weikert, '23

“Roll with the punches,” said Kris Meeker.

With the unpredictability of the job, a key to being in the position at the High School is to have an open mind. That is why Mrs. Meeker, Muscatine High School’s Secretary, located in Student Services, enjoys her job so much. However, this job was not always in the cards for her.

“I have always been in the counseling office. I just liked working in the school system along with kids. It also gave me the opportunity to be on the same schedule as my kids,” explained Mrs. Meeker.

Meeker is a family oriented person, which is what makes all the people she works around so important to her. She handles calls to the counselors, essentially keeping the Student Services office organized. Working this closely with the counselors, Meeker has been able to create close, meaningful connections with them.

“I will miss lots of things. I'll miss the people I work with daily, they're like my family, not only my coworkers. I'll miss the students and watching them grow, evolve into the young adults they are,” said Mrs. Meeker.

While working at the high school, Meeker had the opportunity to be a part of the Pom squad as a coach for many years. Being a coach gave her the chance to create many bonds with the dancers that remain even today.

“It is just fun to see them grow, and remember how their parents were. I have a lot of kids I have seen over the years, and they say I was always positive, with a smile on my face,” added Meeker.

Mrs. Meeker has worked alongside many people throughout her career. However, her counterpart for the past five years at the Student Services desk is Mrs. Meineke where they share not just a close workspace, but also a close bond.

Secretaries, Mrs. Meeker and Mrs. Meineke working in their close quarters in the Student Services office.

“Kris is the backbone to the Student Services office, not only because of her many years at the high school, but sitting alongside her everyday you can see how much she loves each and every student. She genuinely cares for everyone and wants everyone to have the best experience at the high school,” attested Mrs. Meineke.

Mrs. Meeker has seen thousands of people walk through the halls of MHS in her 28 years as a secretary. One of her favorite parts of the job is being able to leave an impact on a student.

“Just when I'm out and about, I’ll see a student that I've interacted with in some way and they'll come up to me, and tell me I got them through school. It’s a feel good moment for me,” said Meeker.

Despite the rewarding parts of her versatile job as secretary, Mrs. Meeker faces challenges daily in her job that push her in different ways. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and Mrs. Meeker does things in her daily job that many may not think comes with the job.

“The biggest challenges of my job include getting all the kids to class, sometimes I don’t have enough time in the day to get everything done that I need to,” said Meeker.

Though Mrs. Meeker will undeniably miss her job as secretary at Muscatine High School, and the people she has created lasting relationships with, she is excited to see what the future has in store for her.

“My husband and I plan to travel, and spend the winters in Florida. I will also have more time to go to all the stuff my grandkids are involved in.”

Good luck to Mrs. Meeker, and all the other retiring staff at MHS! The impact you have left will be remembered for a long time by the students and staff, we cannot thank you enough.