By Shay Reynolds

While Bozeman High School is an ever-changing environment, there are those who have been a part of the Bozeman High School experience for a number of years, adapting to the constant metamorphosis of the school.

One of these individuals is guidance office secretary Nancy Sheffield, more commonly known as “Mrs. Nancy,” who has been here since 1997. She’ll be retiring happily, and of her own choice, on Oct. 31st. Nancy’s official title may be guidance Office Secretary, but she has been much more than that, gone above and beyond, agreed counselors Mrs. Corneer and Mrs. Sullivan.

The counseling office as a whole has admitted to relying heavily on the powerhouse of a secretary for everything from organization to daily guidance. The Guidance Office super-star has also been here to help many from their very start here at BHS, such as Mrs. Kantner, manager of all things Powerschool. She reminisced over her first time learning how to do all the work for Powerschool and how Mrs. Nancy just popped in her office around 4:30 and stayed with her til 8:30 when the whole process was done.

Kantner said that that was one of her favorite memories with Nancy,

“That’s just who she is. She held my hand the entire time, we sat and laughed, and it went by so much faster.”, she said.

Mrs. Sullivan was another who said that Nancy was the one who got her started, adding, “She’s my organizer, she picks up the stuff I drop, in some ways I feel like she’s like a mother-figure to all of us.”, referring to all the counselors.

While a mother-figure to some, Nancy is even more to others, such as Mrs. Corneer who could say with ease, “She’s my best friend, we started out when she was a secretary, but she’s become so much more to me.”, and even went so far as to say the only other person she thought might know her on such a  deep level was her husband.

However, staff have not been the only ones affected, or will feel the loss of such a presence as Nancy’s. She has been the face of the office, and helped countless students with not only their academic lives, but personal lives and issues as well. Mrs. Nancy is especially known to have had especially close relationships with her Teacher Assistants, one of which being senior, Courtney Reynolds. Courtney had been a TA for Mrs. Nancy all her junior year.

Reynolds jokes about her favorite memory being of how Nancy had tried to set her up with a new TA, by having him tutor her in Algebra II.

“He knew absolutely nothing,” chuckled the senior.

When asked of her reaction upon hearing the news of Nancy’s soon departure, she said, “I cried, I honestly did, then I went to put sticky notes on her computer with hearts on them, and cried some more. It’s not going to be the same.”.

Many of the counselors and Kantner agreed on this. The majority agreed that the school would not be the same without such a force, a mother-figure, a best friend, a mentor, an organizer, or person as Nancy. When asked what they thought Bozeman High School would be like without Nancy, the overall agreement was that the school just won’t be the same, or as inviting or warm without her touch. Now while many are happy for Mrs. Nancy in pursuing what she wants in life, even if that may mean retiring, it’s safe to say that the departure is bittersweet for all of Bozeman High, as well as for Nancy.

For those who would wish to email pictures, memories, or kind words to be contributed to a memory book being constructed by the Guidance Office for Mrs. Nancy, there has been an email set up. Send in emails to: weheartnancy@gmail.com .