Tori Menke on the Power of Relational Work

Before the halls filled with students for the start of the school year, our faculty and staff gathered for our opening welcome meeting. Prior to the event, Head of School Chelle Wabrek asked our team to reflect on two fundamental questions: Why this work? And why here at MICDS? Here is what Tori Menke, Administrative Assistant to College Counseling, shared about her journey and purpose.

Hi! For those who don’t know me, I’m Tori Menke. I work in the College Counseling office in the Upper School. When I first came to MICDS in 2019, I was working in commercial property management. I had quickly climbed from an hourly assistant job to a role managing multiple office buildings in Clayton and had also quickly learned that working in an environment where every decision was driven by the bottom line was not for me. I needed something more meaningful. A good friend of mine worked at MICDS (still does, thankfully) and encouraged me to apply for an open administrative assistant job in the Head of School office. Changing careers is scary, but I finally got the courage to apply for the role…the third time it was posted. I got the job, and from that first day, and still now, I am grateful to know that my work is supporting learning and growth and my own values.

So why MICDS? Short answer: they offered me the job. But why MICDS still? Not to sound overly sappy, but because of you. I spent about a year and a half in the Head of School office before moving to College Counseling. My predecessor in the new role, Reda, had been in the job for 22 years before retiring. 22 years! In the same job! That’s crazy. But now I get it. I spent my time in the Head of School office with the executive assistant who somehow immediately felt like an old friend and always, ALWAYS chose integrity. I currently work with Matt Essman, who was the first person to encourage me to be 100% me, even at work! (Okay, maybe like 97%.)

Our team – Karen, Earl, Abby – we’re a family. At MICDS, you are valued as an entire person. It requires trust, shared values, and vulnerability. So I drink coffee with David every morning, get the best hugs and advice from Amy Storey, and can always go to Samantha with a question about work or morality. I can ponder anything and nothing with Paul; I can cause chaos for Brian, practice Tai Chi with Lily, talk about parenting milestones with Crystal, laugh about parenting blunders with Steph, and the list goes on and on.

This is all part of my job, and it has to be, because our work is relational. If we can’t trust and support each other, if we don’t know each other, our students won’t trust us either. But because of the relationships that we can build with each other, I know I can confidently encourage our students to lean into the community because I know they will find the same encouragement and human connection that I do.