Kachur leaves SHS

Guidance counselor leaves current position to move to different school

Former+SHS+guidance+counselor+Stephanie+Kachur+outside+of+her+office.++Kachur+left+SHS+after+the+first+semester+to+go+to+Ben+Davis.

Riley Hyatt

Former SHS guidance counselor Stephanie Kachur outside of her office. Kachur left SHS after the first semester to go to Ben Davis.

Lyndsay Valadez, Reporter

From administering at Perry Meridian, to counseling at SHS for three years, Stephanie Kachur has moved schools once more using the administering and counseling skills she learned from her previous jobs.

Although it is a challenge for her, Kachur has moved to Ben Davis University High School. This transfer was left unannounced until after Winter Break to most SHS students and administration, as it was a long process to get the job.

“The process took about two or three weeks… and then when I found out, it was finals week,” Kachur said. “I pretty much accepted it over break.”

Julie Fierce, the director of the SHS counseling department along with principal Brian Knight, knew about this new opportunity since Kachur started interviewing. The rest of the counseling department found out right around when Kachur, herself, found out. However, a student of her’s, junior Hailey McKinney, did not find out until returning to school after winter break. She went to Kachur’s office only to find that Kachur was not there.

McKinney had developed a strong relationship with Kachur by going down to talk with her at least once or twice a week. Even though she is gone, McKinney doesn’t think they will lose their connection. She looked at Kachur as an aunt to her and thinks it would be nice to develop a similar relationship with Kachur’s replacement, Kaylen Wanek.

Wanek was an intern at SHS in the counseling department last semester, so she is more familiar with SHS than someone who would be absolutely brand new. However, there are still some things that come along with being a new full time counselor. Fierce says that everyone in the department has pitched in a little bit, helping Wanek get along in a new building, but that all that happened seemed to work out just right.

“It’s been a real blessing that we had an intern before,” Fierce said.

Although McKinney doesn’t think anyone could truly replace Kachur, she is happy with  Wanek and sees similarities between Kachur and her replacement. She says they both act young, are really nice and just want to help.

“I think that Kachur was a really good guidance counselor and really good person to just talk to,” McKinney said. “She will definitely be missed.”