Life doesn’t stop, and sometimes if you blink an eye you can miss out on all the beauty life has to offer. For Joanna Borchers, it feels like she blinked her eyes, and 25 years went by. But those 25 years have been nothing short of amazing. 

After 25 years of work and 24 years in the North Penn School District, Joanna Borchers has officially announced her retirement. Borchers is currently the transcript secretary at North Penn High School but has gotten the pleasure of working all over the district. Borchers is also one of the few who can say she got the opportunity to fill many different positions. 

 “Well, when I started at North Penn in 2000 I was at Penndale and I worked for the athletic director at the middle schools. Then that evolved into being a receptionist and working for him until 2013,” Borchers revealed. “ At North Penn, I started as a home office secretary when the structure changed from five to three home offices. Then I was asked to fill in when the transcript secretary before me retired, so I moved over into this office”. 

Not only did Borchers have many different roles at North Penn, but also before she entered the district. 

“Before coming to the district, I worked a variety of jobs,” Borchers shared. “I worked for banks as a teller, and retail worker for a while. I was also a stay-at-home mom with three kids”. 

While Borchers had never worked in education before, she continuously felt a calling towards the district. However, it wasn’t just a calling towards education, it was a calling back home. 

I am a North Penn Alumni, graduated from here long ago,” Borchers revealed. “I went to York Avenue Elementary, then Penndale, and then came to the high school”. 

Although coming back to her roots was something exciting and new, Borchers does admit that as she looks back, that is not the true reason why she felt the need to work in the district. 

 “The reason I really wanted to work for the school district was because I had kids, and the hours were perfect because I worked when they were in school,” Borchers explained. “As a support staff, it was about the hours at the time, good hours for working moms, but I am glad I became a secretary, it’s been great.”

For Borchers, family has always been a priority. Borchers takes pride in making sure her family is cared for and believes that her presence as a mother is what is most important. Over the years, as her children have grown, Borchers has continued to prioritize her family, but now as the role of a grandmother. 

“The best thing I do is I’m a grandmom, I have two little granddaughters and they’re great,” Borchers said with a smile. “I have a four-year-old and a nine-month-old, two different families. Emmie and Tulilia and I always look forward to spending time with them”. 

As Borchers looks toward retirement, she feels excited yet, a little upset. Leaving the students is never easy, and she does believe that without them, there will always be some sort of gap in her heart. 

“The students. The energy. That is what I will miss. There are so many different things going on in this building, and being surrounded by youth is good for old ladies,” Borchers said chuckling. 

While she will definitely miss the students, Borchers tries to look forward to more of the exciting parts of retirement instead. 

“What I am really looking forward to is turning off my alarm clock and waking up when I want to,” Borchers stated. “I’ll probably do some volunteering and of course spend some time with my granddaughters as well”. 

As she reflects on her time with the North Penn School District, Borchers can’t say enough good things about her time spent with the students and faculty. But overall, her favorite thing about being the transcript secretary is getting to help others. 

“Every day has its best moments. I try to take things day by day,” Borchers revealed. “At Penndale we had so much fun, and then at the high school it is every day being able to help someone nervous about getting all their paperwork in on time and making sure they’re going to be accepted into college. Just being helpful, that’s what I want to be here is helpful”. 

As Borchers prepares to leave her students she hopes they will remember her for her helpfulness, but more specifically, for the way she connected with them on a personal level. As students struggle to connect with one another, Borchers can’t help but encourage students to try and look for the good in everyone and every day. 

“Take each day as it comes, look for the good in every day. It’s tough, school is weird now and it’s different after the pandemic. After everyone was home and not relating to each other interpersonally I find there is a lot that still needs to be worked through,” Borchers shared. “But try to find something good in everyone and every day.”