This year at Sentinel, students might not recognize some faces that greet them in the hall as they walk to their class. This is because Sentinel has added 25 new staff and faculty members, one of whom is Izzy Gambini.
Gambini is Sentinel’s new sports secretary, which means she shields Athletic Director Joshua Jannusch from the scary world of high schoolers angry about taking a yellow bus on away trips.
Not really.
But her job is crucial in making the school’s extracurricular trip schedules run smoothly. In her own words, a sports secretary is someone who “ helps the athletic director with scheduling [and] coordinating [events]”, Gambini helps with bus requests and travel requests. She also answers calls about different events that are happening and takes messages for Jannusch when he is not available.
To provide the support that all students get when they participate in extracurriculars Gambini needs to be extremely organized. Luckily she has a color-coded book that is propped up in the left corner of her desk. This book helps her stay on top of all of the schedules because if she didn’t no teams would ever make it to competitions on time. She is not only in charge of the schedules but also notifying the attendance staff when student athletes are to be dismissed for their extracurricular activities. Gambini also tracks all lettered athletes and maintains records of their participation throughout their high school careers
Gambini came to Sentinel from the Good Food Store which is where she last worked. She decided to apply because “it sounded like something [she] would be interested in”. In the two months that Gambini has been part of the Sentinel family, she has had no trouble finding her footing and considers it “fun to work with kids”. She also enjoys the “different pace” (if you have ever been to the Good Food Store before holiday, you know that she deserves the chair she gets to sit in now).
Missoula hasn’t always been the place that Gambini has called home, however she is originally from Ann Arbor Michigan, so she is no stranger to the cold weather. If anything, she likely thinks Missoula winters are relatively warm. She came here six years ago to study Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Montana. It is obvious that this degree benefits her in more ways than one whether it’s helping a kid get in touch with Jannusch or laughing with one of her co-workers. Regardless of the circumstance, Gambini gives it all her full attention making her recipient feel recognized and heard.
When Gambini is not calling bus companies or making someone laugh she is either watching football or running. Since she is from Michigan she has grown tough skin from having all but one of her three sports teams hold historically bad records. Her National League Football (NFL) of choice is the Detroit Lions (which up until recent years has been a hard team to watch, to say the least). Nevertheless, she shows her Lion pride by wearing their mech and displaying a tiny Lion’s flag on her desk. Her college team is Michigan State, who have done well in the past by winning multiple championships in the 1950s and 1960s (so a tad bit before Gambini’s time). She also roots for the Detroit Tigers who play in Major League Baseball (MLB)
Gambini has been an athlete herself for most of her life. She played soccer from a young age to the end of high school where she was a goalkeeper. She didn’t continue her soccer career into college, but that doesn’t mean she quit being active. She is currently training for her second half-marathon in Salt Lake City which will take place in October. This past summer she completed the Missoula Half Marathon with a time of 2 hours and 17 minutes, but she is confident that she can bring that down in October considering the race in Salt Lake City is all downhill.
Even though Gambini isn’t a Montana Native, her favorite trail is Blodgett Overlook. The trail is just west of Hamilton and it provides a view into the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness which is absolutely gorgeous in the summer. She also enjoys spending time on Barmeyer Trail on the eastern end of Pattee Canyon Drive. Considering that it’s all uphill and has 4,300 feet of elevation gain, Gambini should have no problem getting a personal record in Salt Lake. Gambini will also occasionally test how brave she is by running on the Kim Williams trail head which is to the left of Mount Sentinel.
Gambini has been out of the country to hike none other than Machu Picchu in Peru. Towering 7,972 feet above sea level, this endeavor was a huge contrast to Barmeyer. Even though she ultimately didn’t finish it, the attempt was hugely impressive and stands as a testament to her tenacity and dedication.
We need to slow down sometimes and take the time to learn a little bit about the new staff here at Sentinel. We were all new at once so the feeling of being the new kid on the block isn’t foreign to any of us. So when you notice someone you haven’t seen before maybe stop and say hi, it could make their whole day and that is something that is worth the extra minute or two.
