As the end of the school year wraps up, so does the job of Ms. Paula Saldutti as she retires from her 19 years of work at Sahuaro. If you don’t know Ms. Paula, she is one of the most crucial players in the running of our school. In her words, her job is, “Just so much.” It was overwhelming for her to even describe how much she does around the school – everything from maintaining the principal’s calendar, school correspondence, and processing new hires to running the school website and supervising all administration offices. Behind the scenes, Paula saves teachers and staff from getting into trouble…she’s been a true savior without even their knowledge.
This isn’t everything she does; it changes daily, so she constantly shifts gears and works on different tasks. Ms. Saldutti said her job is, “to help the principal in the operation of the high school.” In fact, even Principal Estrella will admit, “The joke is, she’s the one who trained me as a principal. She means everything to me.”
Ms. Saldutti worked at Cholla High School from 1985 until 2005, when she came to Sahuaro. She has worked under three principals here – Mr. Giangardella, Mr. Bonn, and Mr. Estrella – as well as multiple interims, but she doesn’t have a preferred co-worker because, “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.” While Ms. Saldutti can’t say her favorite, it is clear that she is Mr. Estrella’s. He shared, “I also consider her a close and trusted friend…she knows a lot about what we go through as a school and she knows a lot about what I had to go through as a person. She’s been invaluable.”
Assistant Principal RJ Lundstrom (who recently retired) also can’t say enough good things about this Sahuaro icon. “Paula Saldutti is a remarkable woman who was the gatekeeper of the principal’s office. She and Sammy G were a formidable team. Paula (once she knows you were the type of person to pull your own weight, follow procedures, were a competent teacher, and for me AP), would make mountains move for you. She always knew whose button to push to get things done and you knew if Paula respected you, she would go to bat for you and make your life easier while deflecting the BS from the district. Paula made my wife feel special and I know the feeling is mutual. Ellen loves her. Paula is kind and thinks of others all the time. She is always the go-to person when we need to support staff members who are experiencing difficulties, collecting money for gift cards, getting cards and flowers. But she would also do the simple kind actions daily: asking if you wanted a breakfast burrito, bringing back little nicknacks from her Hawaii trips (I still have the refrigerator magnets!), sharing recipes, and so much more. Thanks, Paula, for making my time at Sahuaro special and easier, and thanks for your friendship with Ellen and me.”
Over her time here at Sahuaro, Ms. Saldutti has also befriended many of her co-workers. Athletic Director, Mr. Botkin said, “I am excited to see the next chapter of her life as I am certain it will include many trips and visits with children and grandchildren. I hope she enjoys it; she deserves it. I would like to thank her for all that she has done at Sahuaro.” Cheryl Watters, English teacher, shared that, “‘Everything, everywhere, all at once’ is the best description of Paula. She has every answer, helps everyone with all things related to 1010, she balances endless responsibilities, and she is kind and patient through it all. I will miss her dearly!!” Ryan Smith, another English teacher, said, “Paula is a true rockstar of Sahuaro. She is fantastic as an office manager and just a wonderful, kind person. While she has definitely earned her retirement, she will be deeply missed.”
Born and raised in Hawaii, Ms. Saldutti moved here after high school. Her original plan was to join the Air Force, like her brother did. “I met my ex-husband and ended up getting married and having kids and didn’t join,” she shared. She was going to Pima Community College but didn’t complete her coursework because she wanted to focus on raising her very active kids. “And so I devoted my life to them. And I have two college graduates. One is a police officer. One is an attorney in San Francisco,” she shared.
After she retires, Ms. Saldutti is looking forward to traveling, hopefully with her children and grandchildren. She dreams of taking them to Hawaii for a couple of weeks. She also wants to visit Alaska, Tahiti, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. She has two trips on the books so far – to Hawaii in July and to Taiwan in December.
Ms. Saldutti also anticipates spending more time doing her hobbies including gardening, working on her house, and hula dancing. She used to dance when she was growing up in Hawaii, but it wasn’t until she moved to Tucson that she got connected with a hula dancing group, and now she does it regularly.
As Ms. Saldutti retires, take the chance to appreciate what she does on a daily basis, behind the scenes. All of her little tasks are the things that keep our school moving as smoothly as they do. We appreciate you, Ms. Saldutti, more than you will ever know. Happy retirement!
