They are often the heart of the school. The ones who fix the copier while running payroll and answering the phone. They greet families, manage calendars, and order supplies. They know the families by name and are always multitasking! They are the campus administrative assistants. 

Today, on National Administrative Professionals’ Day, we honor all of our administrative assistants by telling the story of three of them - Bill Burden Elementary’s (BBE) Shannon Price, Legacy Ranch High School’s (LRHS) Jill Price, and Paula Kaderka who has served in many roles and is currently the Assistant to the LHISD School Board of Trustees. Let’s chat with them about their role on campus and their love for LHISD.

Shannon Price - Bill Burden Elementary, Lariat Trails Elementary

Shannon has lived in Liberty Hill for more than 25 years and has worked at BBE since 2014. Her principal, Christina Gamez said, “Shannon is the heart and soul of our school. She excels at ensuring teachers and staff have everything they need to be successful. She is consistently upbeat, kind, and service-oriented, and she creates a welcoming environment for everyone who walks through our doors.”

Shannon spent her first five years as a receptionist at BBE before moving into the role of administrative assistant seven years ago. “Everything was on a much smaller scale when I first moved here,” she said. “We only had two elementary schools and BBE only had second through fourth grades.” At that time, Liberty Hill Elementary was kindergarten and first grade and fifth graders attended Liberty Hill Intermediate School.

Over the past decade she has seen BBE and her love for her coworkers grow. “I love these people, they are my family,” said Shannon. As one of the most tenured assistants, Shannon often helps new staff and is now leaning on other assistants as she takes on the role of opening a new school.

After 12 years, Shannon is excited about the challenge of joining Principal Gamez at the new Lariat Trails Elementary (LTE) this fall. According to Gamez, “When I was asked to open LTE, one of my first questions was, ‘Can I bring Shannon with me?’ Stepping into the principal role was smooth because of the incredible support Shannon provides to me and our staff.” For Shannon, she is ready for the challenge that opening a new school will bring. She said, “I am looking forward to meeting everyone and making them feel welcome.”

Jill Price - Legacy Ranch High School

Jill Price (no relation to Shannon) started with LHISD in November 2023 and opened LRHS in the current Legacy Ranch Middle School building. She has more than 20 years in education with most of those years spent working as an administrative assistant in schools. She previously worked for Leander ISD with the LRHS Principal Mark Koller. Koller is grateful to have Jill on his team in Liberty Hill. “Jill is extremely valuable. She is in every major decision and a part of building our campus culture,” he said. “She is the definition of a servant leader. She will do any and everything she can to make sure teachers have the tools they need to be successful. Our students know her and love her.”

Her family moved to Liberty Hill a year before she accepted a job with LHISD. She likes the slower pace of our community, but is also really excited about the new businesses coming and the convenience they bring. Like Shannon, the people on her campus are the best part. Jill thinks people would be surprised to know how much they laugh at work. “I work a lot of hours,” she said. “But the people and the laughter make it easier to get through the hard days.” 

Jill’s days are extra busy right now while she helps to staff the new LRHS that is opening in their permanent building this fall. Next year, LRHS will add about 450 students as it grows from just freshmen and sophomores to include juniors. With that growth, they are hiring about 30 more staff members. 

Jill and the staff of LRHS will move into their new building over the summer and will be giving tours to their students at the end of the school year. When thinking about their new campus, Jill got a little teary-eyed. “It’s beautiful. The kids are going to be blown away. I’m so grateful to get to work there,” she said.

Paula Kaderka - LHISD Central Administration

In the central administration offices, if you don’t know the answer, you will likely end up asking Paula Kaderka. “Paula has been a recognized face around this district for years and she is someone that people can depend on,” said LHISD School Board of Trustees President Megan Parsons.

Paula started with LHISD as a fifth grade paraprofessional under then Principal Kathy Major. It wasn’t long before Paula was asked to move into an administrative support role which she has held in some capacity since 2013. She moved with Liberty Hill Intermediate from the current administration building on Forrest Street to its new location where Noble Elementary is now.

Her next move within LHISD was the most challenging.  With the opening of Santa Rita Middle School (SRMS), LHISD shifted the secondary campus model from an intermediate campus of fifth and sixth grades, to having all fifth graders at their elementary campus, and middle school housing sixth through eighth grades. Paula recalls using color coding to help with the move and disbursement of all of the supplies to their new campuses. 

Today, Paula works in the Central Administration building as the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Board of Trustees. Superintendent Travis Motal said, “Paula is all heart for Liberty Hill ISD. She is kind, patient and dedicated, always ensuring we are all set up to successfully build champions.”

Thank you Shannon, Jill and Paula and all of the LHISD administrative assistants for the work you do every day to support our campuses and families. We celebrate you!