This year West Chicago Community High School welcomed many new staff members, including the school’s new bookkeeper, Isabel Doremus.
Doremus is an alumna who started working in a bank after she graduated, but bookkeeping has been her goal from the start. In the bank, she loved the aspect of working with numbers and handling money. She also loved the organizational aspect of the job and the layout of it.
After working in the bank, Doremus started a job at an elementary school.
“From a bank to a school, so that was a huge difference,” Doremus said.
Despite enjoying her job helping students in the classroom, the idea of bookkeeping lingered as a new opportunity arose: the opportunity was to work at a school doing what she loved, so Doremus quit the elementary school and came to WEGO.
As an alumna, Doremus wanted to work at WEGO because she found both the environment and the people welcoming. That said, Doremus, a 2007 graduate, found the school to be vastly different from when she attended.
“The building is much bigger, newer. There’s definitely more positions than there used to be before,” Doremus said.
While acting as bookkeeper, Doremus took on more responsibilities, including managing the school’s bookstore, which can be found right next to the Student Activities Center. Although the bookstore sells yearbooks and school supplies, Doremus says the most popular items are t-shirts, particularly the Wildcat Pride shirts, which retail for $5.
“[My] goals for the bookstore would be maybe have more merchandise, more new merchandise for students, so they can purchase new gear for any events,” Doremus said.
While Doremus enjoys the new transition and her new office at work, she mentioned that she is sometimes disturbed by the mascot costume that has taken up residence in the bookstore.
“Sometimes, he’s there, and I’d be like, ’Oh my God, he is kind of creepy.’ A little smelly; I don’t think they washed it,” Doremus said.
But retired mascots aside, she is enjoying her new position at West Chicago Community High School.
“It’s a fun place. It’s kinda quiet. I feel like I’m in my own little world, doing my own work. Except for lunch,” Doremus said.
