In 2022, Mental Health and Wellness is a priority for many school leaders, teachers and staff. One of those staff members is Elizabeth Kress, the school counselor at Chatfield School in Lapeer who does her best and then more to ensure her students’ needs are met.
“Mrs. Kress is our school counselor and serves our K-8 population. Mrs. Kress gives tirelessly of her time, resources, and energy to support both students and staff here at Chatfield. She truly goes above and beyond for our school community.” Mrs. Kress’ nomination wrote.
As a school counselor, Mrs. Kress can be faced with difficult conversations with her students but at the end of the day, Mrs. Kress said she just loves working with her students and what she does.
“I love working with kids. Our building is Kindergarten through 8th grade and I love working with this age group. I love being able to help kids and working with them in a school setting. I just think it’s the best place to work.”
Relationship building is a key part of any student’s education and Mrs. Kress said it’s one of the things she loves most about her school.
“Because we’re K-8, kids are here for a really long time and I think there’s a lot of emphasis put on building relationships with kids which I just think is the most important piece. Before we can teach them anything we have to have a relationship with them and I think that the people I work with do such a great job with fostering healthy, loving relationships with students.”
Building relationships not just with her students but also with her staff and co-workers is what sets Mrs. Kress apart according to her nomination.
“During these difficult days where mental health within school settings is at an all time concern Mrs. Kress goes above and beyond to meet the needs for both students and staff. She takes time to truly listen to adults and children alike. I am a teacher here at Chatfield and have faced much adversity over the past year. Mrs. Kress always takes time to listen to me and to provide wisdom and insight into matters I share with her.”
How does Mrs. Kress do it? Staying positive according to her nomination.
“I know the things students share with her are incredibly hard and yet Mrs. Kress always faces each situation and day with a smile and with positivity.”
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