When you go through your typical day at school, you see the same faces in every class and often only get to know your teachers and the staff you see throughout your routine. But there are so many staff members at BHS that you have probably never met. So, we talked to a few of these support staff to get to know them a bit better.
Clay Shaver: Campus Monitor and Coach
You probably know Mr. Shaver from when you see him holding the doors every day at lunch, but he is also the girls’ varsity basketball coach. He was first hired as the basketball coach two years ago and was then hired as a campus monitor in November of 2023. Mr. Shaver attended Eastern Michigan University, and outside of BHS, he owns a company that allows him to have time to also take on jobs at the school. He decided to take on the role of campus monitor mainly to be around the students and the players on the basketball team. “I don’t live in the Berkley community, so a job in-building helps me get to know the kids better,” he reports. Mr. Shaver explained that he appreciates the community built at BHS, the teachers, and other admin he works with. He says he is often busy with the basketball team, but when he has downtime, he enjoys spending time at his family’s cottage on Lake Michigan.
Jacqueline Terbrack: Media Specialist
As the Media Specialist at BHS, Mrs. Terbrack’s day often includes spending a lot of time talking to students, giving book recommendations, checking books in and out, ordering new books, and maybe most importantly, helping students and staff with technology issues. Mrs. Terbrack attended Central Michigan University for undergrad and Wayne State University for her masters. Now, she has been a Media Specialist at BHS for two years but has been in the Berkley School District for 12. She emphasized that her favorite part of her job is “spending time getting to know the students and checking in with them throughout the day.” She also mentioned that it is nice not having to grade papers. She has four daughters, the youngest being four and the oldest being 15, who take up most of her free time outside of working. But when she does have time, Mrs. Terbrack likes to work on her bullet journal, a planner-like notebook that she handmakes spreads in. She finally shared that one of her favorite parts of the BHS specifically is the cohesiveness of the students. She has seen how students work, help, and interact more with each other than at her past jobs.
Denise Barnett: Main Office Secretary
Mrs. Barnett, a new secretary this year, joined BHS in August. She is one of the friendly faces you will be greeted by as you walk in the main doors and through the office. Previously, she worked as a paraprofessional at Anderson Middle School for about ten years. As a secretary, she is responsible for dealing with attendance, substitute teachers, payroll, keeping track of building keys, and much more. She noted that it is, of course, all worth it, as she “loves being able to work with all of the Berkley students and staff.” At home, she has two children, a husband, and a cat named Tracy. She loves reading, yoga, meditation, and live music.
Colleen Alpert: Student Services Secretary
Whether it’s purchasing a parking pass or searching for important lost items, you likely will eventually find yourself in need of Mrs. Alpert’s help at the Student Services Center. Throughout her day, Mrs. Alpert handles financial accounts for the school as well as for students. She noted that she enjoys this job because she “loves working with the staff, as everyone is very easygoing.” She also loves being able to interact with the student body on a daily basis and being able to “gain some sort of feeling of familiarity with everyone.” Mrs. Alpert began work at BHS in 2022 but worked in the district previously at the board office. She is actually a Berkley alumna herself! Outside of work, she has a two-year-old daughter, Stevie, who keeps her very busy. She also loves to work out and read.
Matthew Breen: Campus Monitor and Teacher
Mr. Breen seems like he is everywhere sometimes! He starts his day as a campus monitor and building sub in the morning and then continues on to teach computer science in the afternoon. He attended Michigan State University and has been working at BHS for two years. He reports that some of his favorite aspects of his job are, “I get to know the building and staff,” and while many staff are limited to the surrounding area near their classroom, he is lucky to be able to interact with many people throughout the day. Mr. Breen still makes time to play video games in his time off from school and has been featured on TV! He loves showing students videos of him in the background of a news report from an auto show he attended.
Julie Otto: Lunch Service
Mrs. Otto works in lunch service at BHS, and she will often be the one greeting you as you grab your hot lunch every day. She has been working at Berkley for about 12 years, as she was hired in 2013! She went to school in Detroit and now is a mother of three kids and 8 grandchildren (all girls). So, it is no wonder that her favorite part about work is interacting with kids. Outside of work, she noted that she loves to make Tik Toks. Mrs. Otto has a super funny and bubbly personality, so make sure to chat with her next time you get the chance!
