Mrs. Antill has been employed at Waterford for 17 years and four of those as the High School librarian. She loved the switch from bus driver to the librarian and told me that it was exactly the pace change she wanted and needed. Missy also said she loves working with high schoolers specifically because they are so mature. She loves to recommend books to people and to receive recommendations from others as well. Feeling the pull to read more since stepping in as a librarian, she appreciates recommended books more because she knows she will like them. Her favorite book is “A Child Called It.” Missy told me that this further opened her eyes to child abuse. Of course, everyone is aware of it but she explained that this book made her vomit, cry and ultimately brought her back to reading again. Reading is knowledge.

Another huge part of Mrs. Antill’s life is family. Being a Mom to 6 kids makes her life crazy and amazing. When I asked her what her favorite and least favorite part of being a Mom is she told me her least favorite is being a taxi cab driver and all the time she spends in the car. However, she said the “joy moments” make it all worth it. Missy has 6 kids, three of which are her beloved foster kids. She told me she highly recommends foster mom life and thinks even if you can’t, there is always some way you can help. One thing Mrs. Antill is very grateful for is the community around her and her kids. It truly takes a village when you bring three kids into your family. And the outreach of people in the foster care community is very helpful.

Not only does Mrs. Antill have many kids, but she also has dozens of animals. Living on a farm, her morning routine gets a little crazy. Her favorite animal is Betty the alpaca because she loves Missy and no one else. They added a new turkey to the bunch making their record 117 animals. The turkey was named by Chloe, the youngest, Unicorn Sprinkle Sprout. Feeding, loving, and taking care of 117 animals is very prevalent in the Antill family’s life. She wakes up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and the kids follow at quarter til or 6. The big kids do their chores like bottle feeding and getting the puppies fed. At 6:15 a.m. everyone must be fully dressed and ready to get in the car soon. At 6:45 all the family must be in the car leaving to drop Chloe off at the babysitter or school. Then everyone goes to school to start their day!

Another thing the Antill family does that is very important to Missy is 4H. Mrs. Antill was in 4H for ten years back in her youth and finds it extremely important to have her kids go through it as well. She wants her kids to have a good work ethic and loves to think that you can always make the best better. Having all of their animals makes it easy to guess what projects they do for the club: farm animals! However, this is not the only thing they do, Missy wants them to be doing community service and helping people out always. She finds it is extremely important for people to know they can rely on her kids for any help they need. Whether it’s a neighbor, friend, or family member, there's always someone who could benefit from that extra hand.