It is rare to find a person who can juggle a plethora of tasks at one time with grace, ease, and enthusiasm. However, when you find someone that possesses this ability you cannot help but to be enamored by them and want to keep them around forever. La Porte High School has been lucky enough to have found such a person in school secretary Roberta Rice for the past ten years.
Rice is the first to greet a guest or student who walks through the doors of La Porte High School. She is the first to answer just about any call that goes to the high school. Anyone that has ever interacted with the high school is sure to have met Rice. She handles the school’s work room, copy machine, announcements, all the staffs’ mail, and any other odd job that comes her way. But if all those responsibilities were not enough, Rice handles everything with efficiency and joy.
“I think it takes a certain person to multitask. Not everyone can do it because people get frustrated. It isn’t that I don’t get frustrated at times, but I thrive on being busy and keeping things moving right along. It’s a curse, but I love it,” Rice said.
Rice was born in Michigan City, Indiana, and attended St. Stanislaus and Elston High School. Her college career started at Vincennes University and was finished at Purdue North Central where she ultimately ended up with a degree in Communications.
“I messed around in high school, and then when I got into the work force and went to college I was getting all A’s,” Rice reminisced.
However, a part of that energy and spirit that may have been a hindrance in high school has become an asset in her work. Rice has been a constant in the La Porte educational system for the past twenty years. She began in food services and transitioned into the technology department. Eventually the secretary position at the high school opened and it was a natural fit.
“I love my job here. I love the people and everything just flows. I just enjoy it so much. My day just flies by, and I keep so busy,” Rice said.
Beyond her work as secretary, Rice keeps moving by working part-time for the athletic department selling tickets at sporting events. She is also the junior class sponsor which entitles her to plan the La Porte Prom with Mary Beth Lebo, a task that she adores.
When Rice gets a moment to breath she enjoys reading, going to the beach, and spending time with her grandson. Although Rice admits she does not have a concrete plan and likes the idea of a spontaneous future, she does plan to retire someday and split her time between La Porte and a warm place in the south.
“I just have a feeling of accomplishment. I think the more you do the more you can do,” Rice closed as she reached to answer the phone at the front desk.