photo by: Contributed

From left to right, Awards Committee Chair of the Kansas School Counselors Association Lyndsey Brown with Erin Metsker after receiving her award for Kansas School Counselor of the Year.

A former elementary school teacher and counselor with the Lawrence school district was named Kansas’ top school counselor, earning a prestigious statewide award.

The Kansas School Counselor Association recently honored Erin Metsker with the Kansas School Counselor of the Year award. Metsker, a counselor with 14 years of experience in education, currently works at the Overbrook Attendance Center in the Santa Fe Trail School District in Overbrook, having previously served in the Lawrence school district. This annual award recognizes individuals who have shown outstanding excellence in the field of school counseling.

“I’m very honored to receive (this award),” Metsker told the Journal-World. “It still kind of doesn’t really feel like it’s totally real yet, but I just hope I can continue to help people and just help create change for kids and families, the education system in general and be an advocate for people.”

Lorle Bolt, principal of the Overbrook Attendance Center nominated Metsker, who was then described to the KSCA by the teachers at the school. The Kansas School Counselor Association gave Metsker the award on Nov. 20, saying that it was proud of the work she does to inspire, support and empower her students every day.

“Erin’s dedication, compassion, and commitment to her students, school, and community exemplify the very best of what it means to be a school counselor,” the KSCA included in a Facebook post announcing Metsker as the recipient.

Metzger has dedicated her career to working with elementary school students. She shared that her motivation for entering this field stemmed from the realization that many young students have little control over their home environments or the difficulties they face, such as trauma and poverty. This insight inspired her to pursue a career in counseling.

photo by: Contributed

Erin Metsker was awarded Kansas School Counselor of the Year.

“I would see kids less and less ready for school just behaviorally, socially, emotionally, all the things, and it usually was linked to their environment in their home,” Metsker said. “And so as a counselor, I get to work (with) not only kids, but also their families and (discuss) how we can support the family unit and help the kids be more successful.”

Metsker graduated from Lawrence High School in 2006 and went on to earn her degree from Kansas State University in 2010. She began her teaching career in the Ottawa School District as a first-grade teacher before moving on to Woodlawn Elementary and the now-closed Pinckney Elementary in Lawrence. Metsker initially worked as a teacher, but after three years of teaching, she decided to further her education and earned a master’s degree in counselor education from Emporia State University in 2013.

As someone working in a rural school district, Metsker said she hopes to see more school counselors in the future, as they play a crucial role on the front lines of mental health support and other counseling services.

“A lot of outside services are waitlisted and sometimes transportation is an issue (when it comes) to getting people help,” Metsker said. “As a school, we can’t turn these kids away. We have to be here for those kids everyday.”

But altogether, Metsker said that the students are what make her work truly rewarding.

“It’s just a good reminder to know that even though you feel like you might not (have made) a difference, or you might not change a lot of things for that one or two kids that you saw, you did make that difference that day,” Metsker said.