According to YourDictionary, the definition of a guidance counselor is a person who is employed, usually in a school, to offer advice on problems, help troubled students and assist students in making career or college plans. That is not all WCHS Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Kissner, does. She redirects lives in the right direction.

             Mrs. Kissner attended Fairfield Community High School and graduated in the class of 1987. She went to college at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to get her Bachelor’s Degree then transferred to Eastern University for her Master’s Degree.

              What Mrs. Kissner likes the most about being the guidance counselor is encouraging the students and helping them achieve their goals they set for themselves. She thinks spending most of her summer building the master schedule is the most difficult part of being the guidance counselor. She has been a guidance counselor for over 20 years now.

          One of the freshman, Kelsea Downey, said, “She is probably one of the best guidance counselor I have had for school and life. She has shown me multiple scholarships for the profession I am going into! She has helped me in many ways! She has helped me through the dark days and the light days! She supports the choices I make and gives me advice when I really need it.”

          I asked Mrs. Kissner what advice she would give to the students and she said, “Seek guidance, be kind, try new things, and surround yourself with people who are on the path you want to be on.”

Mrs. Kissner is married to DeWayne Kissner. She has 4 kids: 27 year old Caleb, 23 year old Kali, 12 year old Ava, and Perry who is 4 years old.