By Benjamin Adovasio ’25
An often overlooked but undoubtedly essential part of the school, the mailroom processes over 200 packages daily. In addition to being in charge of the school laundry service and housekeeping, Bonnie Hartz also runs the Mailroom, single-handedly processing four to six daily deliveries.
Bonnie has been at Gunn for over 35 years, filling in where necessary and currently working in the mailroom until a full-time employee is hired. The importance of a mailroom can not be understated, with Bonnie explaining that many school staff and departments order shipments to the mailroom, including school supplies and sports uniforms.
Amazon is by far the biggest source of packages to the school, with a typical day seeing two full delivery trucks just for Gunn. Depending on where students order packages from, FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Home, USPS, and UPS each come at least several times per week, making 2 to 4 deliveries per day in addition to the two main Amazon deliveries. Bonnie notes that DHL also comes by regularly, as it is the main package source for international students.
Since Bonnie started at Gunn, the process of handling packages has improved dramatically. Instead of having to manually write students’ names down on slips and use the mailbox system, students now receive emails when their packages are ready for pickup. This new system was introduced to accommodate the increased number of deliveries and limited storage space, making it easier for students to receive their packages. While the new system certainly helps with the increased number of packages, each package must be individually photographed and logged for each student to get a notification.
While the days are undoubtedly busy, Bonnie keeps a very cheerful personality and would like to thank the students for “being very polite and understanding,” especially as the beginning of the year can have significant increases in the volume of packages. Thank you, Bonnie!
