It’s the beginning of another school year, with all the typical things the new school year entails. Laughter and chattering echo down the hallways, students wander to classes in sleep-induced hazes of oblivion and teachers welcome new classes and try to learn new names. This is just another wave in the ebb and flow of the sea that is high school.

With the wave of new students also come new faculty members this year, and both parents and their returning students will have a new face greet them at the front doors of the school every morning. Classical Academy High School has a new receptionist: Ms. Bethany Montgomery.

When Montgomery initially applied for the position last year, she didn’t get it; instead, Ms. Laurie Fletcher received it. But, after Ms. Fletcher became the guidance technician, Montgomery was contacted about the job again. “[Mr. Moen] emailed me and was like, ‘Hey, are you still interested in being our receptionist?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, of course!’” Montgomery said. “He set up an interview, and I interviewed, and I got the position.”

For Montgomery, a typical day starts at 7:00 a.m. “From, like, 7:00 to 11:30, I’m up front, or I am in the bookroom, too, as well,” she said. There, Montgomery checks books out to classes and individual students for curriculum, among other things.

“I just like the variety of [the job]. It never gets boring, and it’s always different and changing,” Montgomery said. Though that unpredictability can be overwhelming at times—especially during Gear-Up Days, a time Montgomery described as “crazy,” with “everyone buying things and registering and stuff like that”—she enjoys her job. “It’s good, because it’s never the same.”

When asked about her dream career, Montgomery replied that she doesn’t have one. “I just like doing a little bit of everything, so [I would say] something that keeps you on your toes and that … is impacting the future generations, I think,” she said. “Because I feel like they need that. They need people that are encouraging and supportive of them.”

Outside of her career, Montgomery has other aspirations on her bucket list. “One thing I still want to do is go bungee-jumping. I did sky-diving, so now bungee-jumping’s next.” But for now, Montgomery enjoys her stay at the front desk, where every new day is an adventure.