The delicate tip of a lead pencil meets the paper. The sudden commotion of sneakers hitting the floor of the hallway. And, the hard tapping of the keyboards in the counseling office. With all of the non-stop craziness of high school, you would think it would be exhausting and hard to catch up. But not for Mrs. Jennifer Kelly. What if I told you that the most amazing person located in our school at this very moment is the one you see every day but don’t really realize how much of an impact she has on the Dowling Catholic community? Grasp onto your chair with me while we jump into the exhilarating ride of this loving staff member of our school, The Administrative Assistant in the Counseling office (front desk), Mrs. Jennifer Kelly.
I transferred at the last second of freshman year from Waukee to Dowling. I was met with the overwhelming emotions of anxiety, depression, and stress. I have never really experienced those appalling feelings before in my life and there were only a handful of people that saved me and gave me the right amount of motivation to keep moving forward. One of those amazing people is Mrs. Kelly, also known as my hero. When I would barge into the counseling office on the verge of a breakdown, Kelly would be there acting as the calm to my storm. When I was too afraid to speak up, she would be there to back me up.
And now as a senior, I have observed her through my 4 years of high school and I have realized the tremendous positive impact she has had on the Dowling Catholic community and student life. She makes sure that every student in this building feels taken care of and important. Kelly has such a very powerful yet soft smile that will make your day better as soon as you see it. I hope out of all the years at Dowling that you live through, that you get to witness the comforting atmosphere Mrs. Kelly puts out.
On September 10, 1968, in Des Moines, Iowa, the wonderful Mrs. Kelly was brought home by her warm-hearted parents, Mary and Terry (yes they rhyme, and no, those are not the names of a dynamic duo from a cartoon movie). Kelly grew up along with her 2 brothers and 1 sister. Growing up she recalls the best memories of her spending the hours after school riding her bike outside and exploring the outdoors. Kelly has always grown up with the interests of living in the moment, connecting with friends, and spending time with her beloved family. She met her husband Patrick when she was attending Drake University at a get-together. Kelly has raised 3 beautiful kids: a son Mark who lives in Des Moines; a daughter Kate who is currently finishing grad school in London; and another daughter Mary living in Berlin, Germany, also in grad school. All of Kelly’s kids attended Dowling Catholic in high school.
When Kelly goes home she is met with lots of love from her two adorable dogs, Maggie and Mousse (named after one of her favorite desserts to make, chocolate mousse). Her favorite high school memory from Dowling Catholic (‘87) was all of the “final moments”. Her last candle lighting mass, the last Easter Mass, and of course graduation. She recalls it as “sentimental and fulfilling” and uses those two words to describe the final moments of high school that went by in the blink of an eye. Kelly has had experience with dance, basketball, and softball, and during high school years, cross country. The way she described sports in the 80s made me realize that it was a little different back then. “Athletes did not necessarily participate in multiple sports, they would most likely just focus on one and stick to that,” Kelly explains, which is something that I never thought about.
Time for some fun facts!
- She loves to bake and cook when she has the time too (hence her naming her dog Mousse after a chocolate dessert)
- Kelly loves spending time with her family and has done it more frequently now since her kids have moved out
- She and her husband attend all of the Drake basketball games
- Her mother is from St. Louis and she calls it her second home. Family vacations were always spent there
- She loves music from the ’80s decade but mostly adores Fleetwood Mac
- Her favorite song is “Fox on the Run” by Fleetwood Mac
- “Derry Girls” is her favorite show on Netflix (based on teenagers and their crazy life in Ireland during the 1980s)
- Her top 2 movies are “It’s A Wonderful Life” and ‘The Sound Of Music”
Before landing at Dowling Catholic, Kelly was a teacher for 21 years! Kelly has done 8 years of English and science in middle school, 8 years of technology/media for grades K-8, 4 years of technology/media for grades PK-8, and 1 year of preschool during COVID-19. Kelly’s one piece of advice is “to look at the hopeful future and always remember that there is always a part in life that will surprise you.”
