Megan Sartor, head of attendance, starts working before the sun rises to ensure that every student’s attendance is set up correctly for the day. Aside from attendance, Sartor is also the administrative assistant to Edina High School Dean of Students Brad Dahlman. 

Though her title may be attendance coordinator, Sartor also works with multiple different professions within EHS. “I start work at 6:15 a.m. dealing with attendance calls and contracts. I assist the nurses, student services, and college careers and activities,” Sartor said. 

Sartor can be described as someone who always works for what’s right for the students. “She is energetic, outgoing, does what is right, and her strength is building relationships with kids,” Dahlman said.  

Sartor claims that there are two main culprits for absences and tardies at EHS. “Being sick is one, and then traffic is the other big one,” she said. “Sometimes it can be sports, depending on the season.” 

Sartor believes that students’ attendance is immensely important because their attendance reflects the school as a whole. “Edina, according to everybody, is the best of the best. So let’s show them that we’re the best of the best,” Sartor said.

A big part of Sartor’s job is knowing how to best help students because attendance is a way for administrators to understand the different aspects of students’ lives. “[Sartor] is really good at parsing through to figure out who we need to talk to in order to get a kid support,” Dahlman said. With the updated implementation of teachers dealing with their students’ attendance contracts, Sartor has a more removed role from this particular line of work. 

However, she still aids students who are uncomfortable setting up these contracts with their teachers alone or who need a second opinion. Sartor explains that she is always willing to help out students when they need it. “I just want students to know that if they have questions, they can always feel free to come and see me and that I’m here to listen and not judge,” Sartor said. 

Sartor highlighted that collaboration with her coworkers plays a big role in successful attendance. “I would like to add a special thank you to Ali Shaefer who helps me with attendance. She is always willing to help when needed and goes above and beyond when I need help,”  Sartor said.