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Stephanie Kirk
“When I was a kid, my dad worked in the facilities department at my high school, and he would always tell me that the most important people at a school are the support staff at facilities, and to always respect them. I always carried that with me. Now that I’m support staff, I find that it’s true, we’re the ones who keep the school running. I have always emphasized being very respectful to my fellow support staff members, and also to the people who work in facilities, the maintenance, and everyone else. I find that it’s gotten me very far. If you’re nice to everyone, they’re nice to you.”
-Stephanie Kirk, librarian
-Stephanie Kirk, librarian
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HUMANS OF CLAYTONDaniel Henderson -
![“I felt like African American culture was probably a dominant culture at the time [1990’s], but in terms of education, that would have been the place where it was like, ‘How come we don't talk about this, how come we don't talk about this culture [African American]’. Interestingly enough, I remember my sophomore year in high school taking African history, but we didn't have African American history as an option at my school. That's not the case now, but then it was the case. I was actually thrilled to take African history because I didn't really have a connection, and that kind of fostered a connection to [Africa], like African Americans are connected to Africa.”
-Shauna Aningo, History Teacher](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/image3-3-1200x900.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONShauna Aningo -
![“I would love to do some level of high school mental and sexual health class [and] some psych education. I'm very passionate about adolescent sexual health.”-Aliza Koeinberg, Wellness worker](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_7661-e1758211016669-900x1200.jpeg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONAliza Koeinberg -
![“I think I care a lot about my classmates and the well being of our whole grade. I just want everyone to have a good, fun high school experience. I've been pouring a lot of time into our class and being class president. So that's a big chunk of time that's been a big change. One thing that I tried to do every day is just be kind. I'll be playing golf in the spring. I'm gonna I'm doing dance marathon, probably best buddies club, chess club. I want my legacy to go down as someone [who] is nice and kind of gets along with everybody.”
-Owen Solomon, 10](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/image1-7-1200x900.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONOwen Solomon -
HUMANS OF CLAYTONBradford Rolen -
![“I remember going around [the pit] and falling in a pile of crap. I fell knee deep, and I stank for like a week or two. There's no shower, no nothing, there's no soap. And I still pushed on, wiping myself off in the snow. You know, trust me, it's not fun. I still bore with it, and I eventually made it to the top of Mount Elbrus. I didn't think that I was actually gonna make the summit, but he helped me push through. And eventually, we made it. I like how he pushes me a lot more than most people's parents. And he also allows me to do a lot more than most people's parents. He gives me a lot of freedom. He also gives me a lot of motivation, and also, tries to push me to what I'm capable of or beyond. He really trusts me a lot.”
- Mark Yurkuns, 10](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_2149-vi-1200x900.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONMark Yurkuns -
![“[The] biggest obstacle right now is getting up early. I'm still getting back into the school mode, and usually I'm the type of person who wakes up a minute before my alarm. But right now, that is definitely not happening.” -Anna Hormberg, History teacher](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/image3-2-1200x900.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONAnna Hormberg -
![“I love working with students, that's why I decided on being a high school teacher. I was going to go the University route, but it's a different feel[ing]. Working with students is what makes it fun, keeps it alive, keeps me, trying to connect with students about my passion with ancient Rome and Greece and how they overlap, and how the stuff we do in class impacts their lives. That's kind of the goal I have, is having them see themselves, students in this larger scope of history from 2000 years ago, and how you're part of that now. ”
- Matthew Crutchfield, CHS Latin teacher](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/image2-3-e1757531718144-1200x872.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONMatthew Crutchfield -
!["It's really hard to make friends in Clayton high school if you're a newcomer. Everybody already knows each other, and they have established friendships for many years. My goal is always to make my space a safe one for them to take risks, [and] relax." Nancy Gamble, English Language Specialist](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/image1-e1757625469759-1200x843.png)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONNancy Gamble -
![“Yeah, for anyone who wants to study anything in STEM and they want to do, specifically physics and math, is to spend, like, spend quality time learning the content, there's, there's, I have yet to discover any other method than just putting in the work necessary to learn stuff. There's no roundabout way to circumvent learning of any kind. And I think that's kind of our Justin extra bit, that's our tendency in the 21st Century, is to try and shortcut everything. And I think if you really want to feel prepared, you need to be willing to put in as many hours as necessary to learn the stuff that you're going to learn. But I would also say that it's okay to understand that learning takes time and not getting it right the first time is the normative experience, rather than you get[ting] it the first time, which is an abnormal experience.”
Elliott Leong, Physics Teacher](https://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Leong_Portrait_GLOBE-e1758582770513-1200x1089.jpg)
HUMANS OF CLAYTONElliott Leong
About the Contributor
Sia Girivaru, Reporter
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 10
Years on staff: 1
What’s a small thing that instantly makes your day better? When I hear about different successes happening around the world.
What are some of your favorite hobbies? Running, reading, and playing music.
What’s your favorite part of being on the newspaper staff? Meeting new people and getting to interpret their stories and thoughts in a way that many people can make a connection to.