Walking into school from the pool entrance, out of the corner of your eye, you see a door labeled “Mary’s Office.” “How can that be an office?” you wonder.
Its inhabitant is school-based clinician Julianne Monroe. Monroe arrived at Jackson-Reed at the start of the year. In a partnership with Mary’s Center, a health center serving people in the DC area, she requires a personal office for her private therapy sessions. “An upside to this office space is that it is tucked into a corner of the school and there’s not much foot traffic,” Monroe explains.
The closet formerly served as a storage area for COVID-19 testing supplies. Now the space is quaintly decorated with posters displaying icons of our generation and a desk with fidgets. The space even has a small window overlooking the gym lobby, which Monroe opens when she is not in a session or during class time.
Making your way to the C-wing, a plethora of wooden doors with misleading labels meet your eye. One of which houses Mark Mullen, one of the In-School Suspension Coordinators and football coaches.
The former dressing room has small red lockers on the wall behind the desks. Mirrors cover the other corner of the room. A small ledge that would have been used to hold makeup for performances still remains. The space even includes a bathroom as an added bonus. “We’ve done the best we can with the space we have been given,” Mullen asserts.
Returning to the main building, you pause in the auditorium foyer. Spotting the drawn blinds of the ticketbooth, your curiosity gets the best of you and you venture inside. The office belongs to Daniellea Valdez, one of the Restorative Justice Coordinators at JR. She works to help students and teachers maintain positive relationships through communicating their social-emotional needs.
With a beanbag chair adorned with pillows and blankets, along with a matching rug, the cozy vibe in the office contrasts the hallways found outside. “With my position it is very important that [my office] is a safe and comfortable place,” Valdez explains.
Stickers on the wall push motivational messages to onlookers. It’s hard to miss the security camera covered up with pink paper in the corner of the room, but it adds undeniable character. Valdez would like to continue making improvements to her space over time, but presently her main concern is the window. She wants students to see her office as a haven, and by making further progress to cover up and insulate the window, she will be closer to that goal.
