Jennifer Magee calls the PBE office her ‘domain.’ “I actually miss it when I’m not here,” she says. Joe Culpepper/Gulf Breeze News At first glance, a casual observer might never imagine that Jennifer Magee once was an airtraffic controller in the U.S. Air Force.

Indeed, Magee once toiled in control towers high above runways, directing airplanes to and from their assorted assignments.

These days, Magee is a traffic controller of a different sort. She is the office manager at Pensacola Beach Elementary Charter School. Her responsibilities, however, aren’t that much different than they were during her Air Force days.

“She juggles many responsibilities and keeps us all on track,” Principal Jeff Castleberry said earlier this week.

“Not only does she manage the office and keep up with tons of paperwork, she is also the school nurse. And when I’m away on business, she even serves as the assistant principal.

“We’re a small school, and Jennifer does a little bit of everything around here.”

Magee is in her sixth year as PBE’s office manager. She’s a familiar face to all the teachers and students and to parents who volunteer many hours to make the learning environment at the school top-notch.

“Our school is pretty much self-contained,” Magee explained. “We have a small staff and faculty, and we all wear a variety of hats.

“In a larger school, there would be a secretary, receptionist, attendance clerk, data specialist and a nurse. My primary function is to fill all of these positions.”

Magee inputs and maintains all student data including attendance records and report cards. She handles registration and enrollment and is the first line of communication with parents. She is firstaid and CPR-certified as well as trained and certified in medication administration.

Often, she is a second mother to any student that might be having a hard time coping with school or other children.

“I call it the mom factor,” Magee said. “I try to be a mom to our students, giving them encouragement and doing things like making sure they have lunch if they forgot theirs, drying tears and reassuring them when they feel anxious.”

A native of San Jose, Calif., Magee earned her college degree in legal studies at Fayetteville (N.C.) State University. She also worked in the public affairs office during her USAF enlistment.

“What’s not to love about my job?” she said. “I work on the lovliest beach in the work with incredible students and families.

“The kids are, without a doubt, the reason I love my job!”

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

¦ Who: Jennifer Magee
¦ Position: Office Manager,
Pensacola Beach
Elementary Charter School
¦ Years at school: 6
¦ Family: Son, Spencer.
¦ Other interests: Reading,
swimming, opera and
Facebooking with her son who
is stationed in Iraq with the
U.S. Army.