Counselor Chris Wallace looks forward to working with students this school year

MVN: What is your job at Mill Valley and what are some of your duties and responsibilities?

CW: I am a school counselor for students with last names Q through Z, and I am responsible for supporting the students and helping them throughout their high school career. 

MVN: Tell me about your background, like where you grew up and where you went to college. 

CW: I went to Blue Valley West High School and graduated in 2007. Then, I went to K State where I majored in psychology, and then got my master’s directly afterward in school counseling. I have been a counselor for 12 years, and ten of those have been here at Mill Valley. 

MVN: What are your hobbies, and what do you do in your free time?

CW: Watching sports, playing sports, pretty much anything sports. I coach my son’s team as well as help out with our girl’s golf team here at Mill Valley. 

MVN: What made you come to Mill Valley?

CW: I had heard really good things about the school, but I wasn’t that familiar with the school. My high school was very different from Mill Valley because we didn’t have any sports.  Once I came out here for my first interview, I was blown away by the facilities and teachers I got to meet and I knew this was absolutely the place I wanted to be. 

MVN: How long have you worked at Mill Valley?

CW: I am currently in year ten of working here. 

MVN: What makes your job important to how Mill Valley operates?

CW: It’s not me specifically, but our whole school counseling department does a lot to help support students. We organize the master schedules, sections of classes, and how many teachers want to be teaching those classes.  So, it’s kind of like a lot of behind the scenes work that we do to support the entire educational structure that takes place then on, like an individual basis. We help with any kind of challenges students need help with; personal challenges, academic challenges. That’s more like a case by case, individual basis. Our goal is just to as many students across the stage as possible, so we do everything in our power to make that happen. 

MVN: What is your favorite thing about your job? 

CW: My favorite thing is getting to talk to and help students. I enjoy getting to meet students, offering advice, and just helping them try to navigate these four years. 

MVN: What is your favorite thing about MVHS?

CW: How driven and motivated the students are to be successful in every class. It’s not just about sports, academics, clubs or activities. We just have really motivated kids who want to go far. It’s exciting for me to see all of our clubs and everything like that just take off and become successful, and to see students becoming role models. 

MVN: Tell me about an item in your office or at your desk that is important to you. What does it represent and why is it important to you? 

CW: Probably my picture of my family. I have a couple of pictures of my family that I like to look at while I’m working. Part of the reason we work is to support our family. I just adore my family and their personalities and when we’re together it’s just so much fun. 

MVN: What else should students know about you? 

CW: I was born in New Jersey so a lot of my sports fandom started with teams in that area. So while I’ve converted most of my allegiances to the Kansas City area’s teams, I still have a soft spot for those other teams.