People of the Plains

Five days a week, three people take upon themselves the responsibility of 1,500 teenagers.

Lisa Hayes, Anthony Jeter and Ross Reed are the assistant principals at Auburn High School.

"We're tasked with doing a job that may not always go in the direction you want it to go," Reed said.

Reed came into the AHS school system as the running backs coach and wrestling coach, but has also been a vice principal for the past three years.

"There's a lot of things that come at you that you can't make reference to," Reed said. "A lot of it is good instinct (and) a lot of teamwork."

Reed, Jeter and Hayes have a division of labor system that keeps them busy as year-round employees--summer break doesn't exist for these administrators.

"There's a lot of preparation that really does take the full two months of June and July, (such as) getting in new textbooks and numbering textbooks and getting those out to the appropriate places," Hayes said.

Hayes is in charge of 12th-grade discipline, attendance policies and testing coordination for any tests mandated by the state or federal government.

While Hayes is in her first year as an assistant principal at AHS, she's no newcomer to the school atmosphere.

"I was born into an education family," she said. "My father was a teacher and a coach and an assistant principal and a headmaster ... I've cleaned locker rooms and cut and striped football fields and buffed floors ... so I have a lifetime of experience in education."

Jeter, who handles 10th-grade discipline, special accommodations for health plans and extracurricular programs, has been in the vice principal position the longest, coming back to Auburn to coach football after about 15 years away from the area. He uses his experience as the defensive coordinator as an administrator.

"Coaches deal with so many different situations and so many different kids," Jeter said. "In a game I've got 25 seconds to make a call, and sometimes less than that ... That's kind of how this is. You don't have all day to make decisions, and you've got to make the best decision you can and move on because there's something else coming."

Reed handles 11th-grade discipline as well as school safety plans, parking problems and facilities issues, although he said the division of labor isn't absolute.

"We have set parameters, but it's more like a Venn diagram with lots of things that overlap," Reed said.

The assistant principals spend time working with students, parents and teachers each day, on top of tackling piles of paperwork.

"It's a good thing I love my job, because I stay here a lot," Hayes said. "It's really important--and we tell our teachers this too--to find that time for you and unplug ... As much as you may love your job, you still have to have that time away from it."

When the final bell rings and the high heels and neckties come off, each administrator has a favorite way to unwind.

Jeter's favorite spot is a pond in his neighborhood.

"I take my girls out there and we'll fish," he said, adding that he loves cooking and entertaining. "We catch dinner some days and some days we won't. We go out and just get some fresh air."

Reed said he also likes to be outdoors.

"I can get all of work's problems solved on top of a tractor," Reed said.

He also said he loves to spend his free time with his own kids.

"I took my little boy on a waterfowl youth hunt this weekend, and then Saturday night was daddy-daughter dance night," he said." Family time and outdoors is my relief."

Hayes said she finds her fun in photography.

"I'll usually have a couple bags of camera equipment in the back of the car," she said. "I'll photograph anything ... I have a great set of Auburn prints that I took the night Auburn beat Alabama last year.

"You really do just have to stop and take a step back and breathe. We've faced some difficult situations, whether it's students or with teachers or whatever the case may be. It will overwhelm you."

Hayes, Reed and Jeter are dedicated to their work--solving problems and helping frame the world for the students in their charge, although it can be hard to deal with the negative aspects.

"I've had to eat my lunch with a kid sitting here; I've had to get him from a fight, and he's sitting there looking at me funny and I'm trying to eat my lunch," Jeter said. "Those days come and go, but you have to deal with them."

Jeter said he emphasizes setting high expectations at the school.

"If you expect a lot, you're going to get a lot," he said. "You get what you expect. So I'm going to have (my expectations) real high, and maybe we'll get there, but as long as we're trying to get there we definitely won't be at the bottom."

Hayes said the other side of expectation is finding a good balance.

"We serve such a wide variety of students," Hayes said, mentioning special needs, advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. "For some students, general expectations don't fit. We have to remember to look at children as individuals."

Reed said helping high school students find their place in the world is what keeps him motivated in his work.

"This is a great phase in a lot of people's lives," Reed said. "They're not kids anymore, and they're not quite adults either. So you're helping them in that transition of, 'Hey, how could you have handled the situation differently? How in five years could this be detrimental to your career?'"