Social worker Jenny Munroe hopes to support students in their mental health journey
Mill Valley News: What is your job at Mill Valley?
Jenny Munroe: I am a school social worker here and at Monticello Trails.
MVN: Tell me about your background.
JM: I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, up north of the river. I graduated from Missouri State with my bachelor’s in social work, and then went to The University of Missouri and got my bachelor’s or my master’s in social work.
MVN: What are some hobbies you do?
JM: I love my dog, walking my dog with my husband and I like to hike. And hang out with my kids that are grown.
MVN: Are they students here?
JM: No, my son’s at UMKC and my daughter is a para in the district, at Belmont.
MVN: So what made you come to Mill Valley to work here?
JM: I have been in the district going on 20 years, and I’ve been over at Monticello Trails most of that time. I wanted to follow my students that were coming up to the high school, and that’s why I started last year helping the social worker here.
MVN: What makes your job important to how Mill Valley operates?
JM: I feel like having support for mental health is really important, and having that education piece and being able to respond to crises and help be preventative with kids that are struggling with anxiety or depression or social skills and things like that.
MVN: What is your favorite thing about your job?
JM: I just love the kids I work with. I feel like I have trouble letting them go.
MVN: What’s your favorite thing about Mill Valley?
JM: Besides kids, I feel like staff are very supportive of the kids that I work with, and I feel like students are supportive of kids that are different or that may struggle with something.
MVN: Can you tell me about any item in your office right now or at your desk that is important to you?
JM: I have a little [she shows me the item here]
So one of my students years ago, his grandmother, lived in Japan, and she studied, so I don’t even know what it’s called, but she made these a couple years ago for me and I just thought it was so sweet because it came from Japan, and I had been with that student for several years and I just thought it was really thoughtful.
MVN: What else would you like students to know about you
JM: I love to laugh. I’m here for anybody who needs it.,I love meeting kids where they’re at and seeing what they need and working from there.
MVN: Do you think there’s a wide spectrum to that, like, some kids need a lot of help, or?
JM: Yeah, I do. And I think the needs have always been there. I think it has gotten more, there’s a lot of stuff going on in our society, after covid I think mental health has become more publicized which I think is good, but I also think we don’t mind anymore support.
