Danielle Pratt, a name most students are familiar with through her monthly newsletters, once also walked the halls of a Tharyn-ruled high school- a unique similarity she is able to share with the students at AHS. Pratt, who attended Pueblo High School- where Tharyn was the vice principal at the time- now works directly alongside him every day.

“The principal’s secretary is my official job title. Some of the things that I do: I do all the purchasing for the school, all the financing, all the money comes into me. I do all the financial paperwork if teachers order things or request payment,” Pratt explained. “I can do payroll. I also do the calendar, all the communications to staff and parents so like all the newsletters that your parents get and all the emails. That’s all me. I also handle Tharyn’s calendar and all of his appointments.”

After working in an office during her previous job, Pratt gained an appreciation for the conversations and interactions her busy desk now facilitates.

“My last job, I was just in an office dealing with managers and not really dealing with kids. I like working with the kids and the teachers and just all the interactions and relationships,” Pratt said. “However, it makes it really hard to get something done being interrupted all the time. I mean, it’s hard to do accounting work while I’m answering the phone and have teachers coming up to me, but I love dealing with people, parents, teachers, and kids, and not just working with managers all day.”

Pratt is grateful for the relationships she had built through her unusual position and the opportunities it has given her family. In 2008 Danielle and her husband–who she met in college–moved to Aspen to start a family.

“Having kids, was for sure a huge turning point in my life because your life just becomes about someone else,” Platt explained. “I just love all the opportunities my family has recreationally and the opportunities my kids get at the school.”

If she could give her high school self–or AHS students–one piece of advice, it would be to not to worry about what other people think.

“I think I just cared about what other people thought too much. It probably held me back from trying different things and doing things that I probably would’ve liked to do,” Pratt said.