They are the first “hello” each morning and the last “goodnight” each day after school.

They are the caring hands in the classroom, providing the one-on-one attention to those kids who need a little extra help to move forward.

They are the first level of triage for playground bumps and bruises . . . as well as the playground mediator teaching children how to work out their differences at the swingset.

They care for sick children, providing the comfort necessary until parents arrive to take their children home.

They provide more than 3,000 meals each day on a strict schedule, handling about $8,300 in sales daily with few errors.

They keep district finances secure, ensuring that tax dollars are spent properly, schools stay within budget, and payroll and payments are made on time.

They mow, weed, plant, and landscape more than 200 acres, while maintaining baseball, football, and soccer fields for competitive play.

They interpret for students, helping teach them in their own language while at the same time providing lessons in English.

They not only keep the district’s 2,400 computers operating, they also maintain an independent phone system with 950 extensions. And if that was not enough, they do the same for the computer and phone systems of the City of Oak Harbor.

They deliver our mail, haul our goods, and move equipment from site to site.

They are the ones cleaning up after us, providing janitorial services for more than 500 rooms in 11 different locations, covering about 600,000 square feet.

They fix the roofs, paint the walls, and keep the electrical, heating, and plumbing systems in good working order.

They often innovate, solving problems on the spot and saving the district tens of thousands of dollars.

They hold the safety and well-being of our children in their hands.

They drive the equivalent of here-to-Ohio every single day – each bus buzzing with 50 energized school kids – yet, they do so with humor and an impressive safety record.

They not only maintain the district’s 47 school buses, but also the city’s fleet of vehicles, 13 school buses from Coupeville, and 29 firefighting vehicles from around the island.

They keep the confidential records of thousands of students, interacting with other schools from around the world.

They are the first face of the district, the ones who register our children and answer the nervous questions from newcomers and other parents.

For the most part, they are not the ones setting policy and budgets, attending endless meetings, planning curriculum, developing lesson plans, managing the classroom, supervising the work of others, or overseeing the big picture.

But if you want to get something done now, chances are you will be talking to a classified employee, someone who is a professional at their service and who knows how to get the job done right. Our district could not function without them.

Thanks for all you do everyday.

Thanks to our bus drivers, school secretaries, instructional assistants, building maintenance crew, technology specialists, food service workers, janitors, grounds crew, registrars, library assistants, receptionists, interpreters, warehouse workers, Science Center coordinators, business office clerks, department secretaries, playground and lunchroom aides, mechanics, and all classified employees of the Oak Harbor School District.

Rick Schulte is superintendent of the Oak Harbor School District.