Jessika Varner, business manager and community engagement coordinator at the Horizon Science Academy in Lorain, said she started working for a school system in her early 20s.
Varner worked for the Concept Schools location in Cleveland.
“Concept Schools is a nonprofit charter management organization that manages high-quality charters in the Midwest and has more than 40 schools in six states,” she said.
Varner served as a secretary in the front office during her tenure in Cleveland and handled attendance records.
“Originally, I was going to do psychology research, but I have always worked with kids,” she said.
Varner’s husband’s family lived in Lorain County, so she moved to this area and began working for the Horizon Science Academy in Lorain.
“There are no typical days here,” she said about her roles at the Horizon Science Academy of Lorain. “We are getting ready for our 10th graduating class coming up in May at the Lorain Palace Theatre.
“There is always something to prepare for, the days go in the cycle of the school year, getting ready for kindergarten, high school graduation, and we have a Daddy/Daughter Dance coming up. I also work on the Horizon Happenings digital newsletter.
“There is a cycle of growth here because we are not that old, opening in the fall of 2008. We have six alumni working here, and we are seeing the next generation of students.”
Varner also handles inquiries with the media and assists with scheduling events on the campus.
Varner remembers a humorous story of how she and a co-worker at the Cleveland location, Miss Wolfort, have a similar resemblance, and the younger students would refer to Varner as Miss Wolfort, as Varner would tell them that she is not Miss Wolfort.
“We are moving forward here, we are adding new classrooms on the second floor, that project has already started, and will be completed when the students return in August,” she said. “There will be new bleachers for the gymnasium coming this summer since the current bleachers are from the 1950s.
“We have three bands for each grade level here, kindergarten to eighth-grade, with more elementary students. We have art classes, gym class, music class, a library, character education and more.
“When the Horizon Science Academy started here, we had fewer than 50 students; we now have 850.”
The Horizon Science Academy is located at 760 Tower Blvd.
Varner can be reached at 440-282-4277.
For more information on the Horizon Science Academy of Lorain, visit www.horizonlorain.org.
On the job
Each week in The Morning Journal we’ll meet someone from across Lorain County “on the job” and get to know a little bit about them. Got a suggestion for someone we should meet? Email news@morningjournal.com.