By Jadynne Brady
Editor-in-Chief
Danielle O’Donnell is a retiring counselor here at Blue Springs South.
How long have you been a counselor?
So, I have been here at South for 21 years. Before that, I worked at a smaller school, and I was only a part time counselor there. I used to be a business teacher, but I’ve been in education for 29 years.
Where did you work previously?
My first year of teaching, I was in a small school, Iberia is the name of it. It is down by Lake of the Ozarks. Then I went to my back to my home high school, and I taught in Palmyra, Missouri. And then we wanted to get back to the Kansas City area, so I taught in Plattsburgh for a little bit. And while I was in Plattsburgh, that’s when I started my degree to become a counselor. And then I kind of slipped into being a middle school counselor there part time, and a business teacher part time. And then a job here came open, and that’s when I came here.
What got you into teaching?
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I like kids, and I always wanted to help, and so I knew that that’s that was my calling. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. When I started taking business classes in high school, I loved them. So that’s when I was like, okay, I am going to go into business education.
What got you into being like a counselor?
So actually, when I was a business teacher, I talked to my the counselor there, if I had concerns or anything about students, like I would notice certain things. And she was like, have you ever thought about counselor? And actually, I was like, no, I actually had thought about going into administration. But then, after she said that, I kind of just did some soul seeking, I guess. And that’s when I realized, okay, counseling is where I need to be.
How does it feel to be leaving now?
It’s a weird feeling, because I love it here. And the only reason I’m leaving is because I’m aging out. The way the Missouri retirement system works is it’s for me, it’s best if I leave, and then what I’m going to do is I’m trying to either get a job at a private school or Kansas School, and then that way, I’ll be pulling in my retirement from Missouri and my then getting another income on top of that. But I guess it’s bittersweet a little bit because I’m about ready to leave. Because I do love it here, and I love what I do, and I love the staff. Even though it’s a big school, it’s always felt close and connected, kind of like family. People keep asking me, are you counting down the days? No, I’m really not. It’s sad for me, but I’m also excited for my next step,
What you’re going to be doing after this?
I’m trying to get another counseling job. I’m just waiting for things to kind of open up. I’ve had a few interviews and actually have another one tomorrow. But either private or over in Kansas.
What are you going to miss about being a counselor?
I will miss my team. This really is a great counseling team, so I’m going to miss them. I’m going to miss the students. Like I said, I’ve been here 21 years, but with my kids, my daughter graduated from here. My son is graduating from here this year. This is home, you know, so I’m just going to miss that. It’s comfortable and it’s inviting, and I’m going to miss that.
Anything about South that you’re going to miss?
There’s so many things. I feel like, even though we’re a big school, we still feel small. There’s a good sense of school pride. There are some schools that do not have that, so I’m going to miss that. Of course, the students, I’m going to miss the students. Just the comfort of knowing what’s expected and how to do my job. And you know that part, that is something that will be new to me, but that’s an exciting challenge. That will be coming up but that will still be something that I miss, but mainly the people.
What’s your favorite memory?
Oh, goodness. I have so many, so many. I’m going to give you a few. I remember that David Cook, when he came back and when he was doing “American Idol,” that brought a big spotlight on South. And the way that the staff handled that, and the admin handled that. So, “American Idol” came and he[Cook] had a huge concert. They called it a welcome back or whatever, and he did that in the football field and that was all on TV. That was pretty cool. But then after he won American Idol, he came back and had a surprise concert for the students. So that was really cool. Anytime we won state. I remember the year that we won, we went to state. I can’t remember if we won both football and basketball state that year, but I remember going to both. One class, we had just had a powerhouse class, and we went to state. And I know we won basketball in state. I can’t remember, but I think we won state both in football[Fall 2015] and basketball[Winter 2015]. That was pretty cool. But there have been some, like, really cool moments with students. And you know, if they’ve graduated, and they come back and they see us or see me and thank me for different things that I’ve done. That’s nice knowing that I have made a difference. Because in education, you don’t always see the difference that you make. Because it’s things that happen after the student leaves, how successful they are, and just the different things that they are doing. So, it’s nice when students come back and just tell us how they’re doing. That’s really nice. I don’t know, so many good memories, it’s hard to even name all of them.
Do you have any advice for future teachers?
Oh, goodness, advice for teachers. Soak it up. When you have bad days, a student that’s giving you a hard time or whatever, don’t take that personally. Know that it’s something that’s going on in their life, not you personally. It has gone by so fast. I remember being the young, new teacher, and then I remember the time when I realized, oh, I’m not the young teacher anymore. I’m kind of like, right there in the middle, and now it’s like, oh my gosh, now I’m the veteran and I retiring. It’s just so weird because I don’t know where all of that time has gone. I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in life and what we’re doing that we don’t always just sit back and appreciate all the things of the time that we’re in.
Do you have anything else that I should know?
I have always loved being a Jaguar and it’s a great place. South really is a great place to be. I think teachers realize it if they’ve been other places. I don’t always think students realize how great this school is. But we have a staff that really cares. And I feel like our student body, for the most part, I think that our student body is a caring student body. So, I feel like I’ve been very blessed.
