Alisal High School has lost a very beloved individual. Mrs. Shelley Mier passed away earlier this month at the age of 44. She had been battling liver failure for about two years. The liver failure was hereditary; her mother had died of the same condition. According to staff members who knew Mier, she was a very kind and nice person.

Mier had worked at Alisal for 18 years; she had worked in the district for 24 years. Prior to working at Alisal she worked as a secretary at Washington Middle School. She had been a secretary to three Alisal principals: Mr. Horsely, Mr. Torres, and Mrs. McCarthy. She protected and served these principals and made them look good.

She was the best administrative secretary in the district; incredibly smart and talented with computers, according to McCarthy

Being the school’s secretary wasn’t an easy job; her job took a lot of courage because she was required to be strict and lay down the law; this was a challenge to her because that didn’t come naturally to her, said Mrs. Johnson, a health academy English teacher. Her job consisted of maintaining the principal’s calendar, maintaining records- payroll, fieldtrip applications- budget distribution, graduation programs, in lieu, keeping minutes for meetings among many other things. She pretty much ran the school.

Johnson describes her as being the heartbeat of the campus because she was responsible for keeping the rhythm of the school going. She quietly executed the necessary components to our activities day in and day out with out fail. “With her vast experience she always knew how to connect you to the right person,” said Johnson.

Mier was the spirit behind activities like Secret Santa; she would always be organizing raffles at school, and picnics and games for her family reunions. Mier enjoyed painting, reading, cooking, crafts, and hanging out with friends among many other things. Everyone who knew her mentioned her creativity. Johnson, McCarthy, and Mrs. Tuttle, the new principal’s secretary, described her personality as friendly, service oriented, bubbly and creative. “She truly loved Alisal High and wanted the best for all students here,” says Tuttle. “She really was a Christian, she treated people with love.”

When Johnson first came to Alisal, an administrator, Art Bubb told her that if she ever needed any help to ask Mier because she knew everything and was the nicest person in the world. At first Johnson thought that he was just exaggerating but after getting to know her this proved to be true. Johnson has been here for 11 years and during those 11 years she has seen many teachers come and go, but Mier had been the exception along with only a few other staff members. Because of this Johnson says that Mier had been a steadying influence for her in this school.

Many students didn’t know who Mier was, unless they had ever made an appointment to see McCarthy .However, she was usually the first person that people from outside the school-substitutes, new employees, delivery personnel-met. She represented the school well and came to symbolize the unique character of the school.

Tuttle refers to Mier as a “true friend, always willing to listen with an open mind and an open heart. She had a really strong faith that carried her through her illness- there is going to be a void in everyone’s life that she touched, there is another angel looking down upon all of us.” McCarthy, Tuttle, and Johnson all will miss having Mier’s counsel and advice.

With Mier passing away people have lost a secretary, a mother, a wife, and a very good friend.

A lot of people will miss her company, and her friendship. At the service held for Mier, people spoke about her kindness and people were urged to keep her spirit alive by being kind.