Sandy Hoenl never thought she would have started a second career in the middle of her lifetime. Hoenl has been working in the maintenance department at Whitehall High School since 2010, but students know her as something different.

"Kiddingly, they always say, 'Laundry Lady,'" Hoenl laughed.

When one hears the term "laundry lady," that person may think duties would include only, well, laundry. But the job responsibilities in her aspect of maintenance include much more.

"I'll do anything and everything," Hoenl told The Press recently. "My primary job is to take care of all the sports equipment, and that would [include] football, baseball, softball, boys and girls volleyball, wrestling, boys soccer, CPR swimming classes and [physical education] classes."

That aspect of the job alone is considerable.

"There's over 2,000 pieces of equipment as far as [everything] involved with uniforms," Hoenl said.

Not only does Hoenl have to wash all of the uniforms throughout the school year, but she also mends them.

Many employees at Whitehall High School think Hoenl goes above and beyond. Head Junior Varsity Softball Coach Morgan Kelly is just one of them.

"Some people may think she just throws uniforms in a washer and dryer, and how hard could that be?" Kelly told The Press. "But that is only a very small part of her job. Sandy will go the extra mile to not only wash uniforms multiple times, but she will scrub and remove stains out of uniforms until they can no longer be seen, sew on buttons that may have popped off and replace broken zippers."

She said Hoenl also washes practice clothes on top of all the uniforms. Every item under her care is neatly folded and dropped off to each team's locker room.

Hoenl does laundry and fixes uniforms for about 25 sports teams.

"It's different from a youth organization where each kid takes their stuff home," she stated.

Hoenl said a football jersey costs about $100. Instead of buying a new jersey when it is torn during a football game, Hoenl spends the time and care to fix it.

Hoenl recalls one time when such a situation occurred:

"I repaired and sewed the whole jersey from front to back, and I used that mending glue, and then I used thin fabric that I could put underneath," she said. "I had it perfect," she exclaimed, showing the pride she takes in her work.

During the summer when school is out, she also cleans the school buildings and administration offices.

One challenge that Hoenl faces with her job is getting everything done in a day.

"If I'm going to do a job, I'm going to do it," she said. "It's not where I punch in and then I punch out and what I don't get done, I leave for somebody else. It's not like that. It's something that I take pride in because when you go to watch them at a game, it's like 'Don't those kids look great?' because I wash those uniforms or sew them or patch them."

Kelly said Hoenl puts in extra hours at work for which she is not paid. She also helps with other departments' laundry, such as the science department, when they need lab coats washed after performing dissections.

"To [Kelly], that's going above and beyond, where to me I'm just doing my job," Hoenl said.

Kelly is very appreciative of Hoenl's hard work in and dedication to Whitehall High School.

"For as long as I have known her, Sandy has been, and always will be, a die-hard Whitehall supporter," Kelly said. "Regardless if she is sewing uniforms back together, at a football game waving pom-poms in the air, or driving through the Whitehall community, you will never see Sandy without a smile from ear to ear," she said.

With every discussion of her job, Hoenl's face lights up. She likes to think her contagious smile is reflected on the students, too, and it is visible to her when she sees them in the hallways, "just seeing them come by and say, 'Hello' or 'Hello, Mrs. Hoenl, I really appreciate everything you do!'"

Hoenl's enthusiasm is displayed on a bulletin board in her office, where she posts newspaper articles on students of the sports teams and their wins and accomplishments.

"It's a job I enjoy waking up to," Hoenl said. "I just love making somebody's day special."