Jan McCook – all the right connections J an McCook’s College
aide and reader-writer role to help and support boys in 2016. She also holds a Science degree from the University of Canterbury. In January 2019, Jan was invited to become College receptionist. “With 10 years of experience as a College mother, I was someone who ‘got boys’, knew the staff and, importantly, the way College worked,” she says. “While the systems are easy to learn and develop, that institutional knowledge
connection stretches back 18 years. From a College mother to the school receptionist who never misses a trick – despite the boys’ best efforts – Jan has seen it all. In her prime position – front and centre of school life – Jan is at the heart of College, welcoming new generations, calming stressed parents, stepping in as needed and always striving to steer boys in the right direction. Married to an Old Boy, Jan’s first steps through the College gates were in tandem with her oldest son, Henry, in 2004. Today, Henry has a successful corporate career. In 2010, George – now a doctor – followed his brother. “We did 10 years as Christ’s College parents. As one tipped out, the next one tipped in,” she recalls. Jan enjoyed the growing “integration of parents into the school”, with the introduction of the Pink Lunch for mothers and Midwinter Drinks for the parent community. Both boys had attended The Cathedral Grammar School down the road, where Jan was kept busy filling various parent-related roles, including time on the School Board. Backed by her school experience and having worked in HR in London and Christchurch, she was soon tapped to join the College Ball Committee and then approached to take on a teacher
Today, College remains “a pretty special place” and it is important in Jan’s position to “smooth the way” for all members of the school community. “The camaraderie is great – we have a good relationship with everybody.” Now, she is exiting the College gates for the final time – retiring to enjoy more time with her young grandson, travel, and spend days at her lifestyle property in Peel Forest tending to her very large garden. She also plans to catch up with friends, play more golf and enjoy lots of walks. “My job is done. I have the right systems in place, ready for the next person. It is a good time to hand over my role to the next College receptionist.”
certainly helps. As a receptionist, you are the conjugate between every stakeholder. Nobody else really deals with everyone like the school receptionist does. “Everyone who steps through the door needs different things and you must be able to point everyone in the right direction.” Jan’s toughest day was on 15 March 2019, when the school was forced into lockdown following the Mosque attacks. “It was my most challenging day,” she says. “I had a call from New Zealand Police, instructing me to put the whole school in lockdown. We quickly got the boys on the ground and locked the classrooms. “The processes were in place, and we just knew what to do – trust your instincts and move quickly.”
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