Longtime Judge Memorial secretary retiring

Friday, Sep. 11, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY – After 30 years of serving as the first person that people saw or got a hold of when entering or calling Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Rita Scholl is retiring.

Scholl, a native of Minnesota, never thought that her professional path would lead her to working at a Catholic school.

“I think that it was kind of a divine intervention that I started working there [at Judge],” because when she was a teenager in Minnesota, “I was involved in things at school, but I didn’t like school,” she said.

When she moved to Utah, her first job was with the Granite School District, as a librarian aide. When the school district made personnel cuts, she heard that Judge Memorial was looking for a receptionist for the main office.

“I interviewed and I got a job,” Scholl said. 

From then on she wore many hats: She helped with admissions, counseling and even with athletics.

“It was always a joke in our family – ‘Look who is working at a school, and not only at any school, but a Catholic school,’” Scholl said, adding that she considers herself very fortunate.

“I have the best job at the school,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I got to work basically with everybody in every department. I was always busy.”

Whether greeting someone entering the school, attending to a student who had a specific need, supporting one of the school’s departments, answering phones or filing paper work, for her, showing up every day throughout her 30 years was a priority.

“To show up every day was very important; people depended on you,” she said. “If I was getting a paycheck, I simply had to give 100 percent every day, I had to have dedication.” 

Her dedication was appreciated.

“Rita isn’t just a very stable presence here at the school, she was always that person that welcomed students to the school when they first arrived,” said Patrick Lambert, Judge Memorial principal, who first met Scholl when he himself was a student at the school.

In the course of 30 years, Scholl “has been very generous,” Lambert said. “She is kooky; she has such a loving, fun way to do her job. ... She is a total original. One minute she could be in a very serious conversation with a family and then she just can crack us up.”

One of Scholl’s quirks is that she doesn’t like bugs, Lambert said. “She would put a whole can of Raid on a single spider, because she wanted the place clean and spider-free. ... Now, with her retirement, our insecticide bills might come down a little bit, but the number of spiders that we will have in the building will probably go up.”

Knowing that people like Scholl have helped formed the school, molding it into what it is today, brings Lambert comfort. 

“She is a reminder that this is the mission; that we are not in this alone, that we have had this incredible support that really helps us. ... She helped put Judge Memorial forward,” Lambert said, adding that Scholl always showed an incredible love, “and she has made the school a better place.”

The school will remember Scholl because of “her hard work, her diligence. ... I hope she enjoys her well-earned and deserved retirement, and we hope that if she gets bored, she can come back here and brighten our days.”

Scholl will always treasure the memories that she has from her time at Judge, she said, and she has some advice for a successful life: “Always remember to treat people how you like to be treated, have morals and always do your best.”