Guidance
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Mrs. Gail Grebasch is Walther’s new School Counselor. In addition to running the Guidance Office, she is launching a Mentoring Program and serving as Student Council faculty adviser. She completed both undergraduate and graduate degrees, earning her Masters at Concordia University/River Forest. Gail enjoys gardening, hiking, and reading – her favorite book is the Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol – and she likes the music of Sting, The Who and The Beatles. While Gail is rooting for Bronco green now, when she was in high school she cheered the blue and gold Luther North Wildcats basketball team as they won their way into the State Tournament. Her favorite Scripture is from Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God…” Her goal at Walther is to help all students reach for their dreams. |
Meet Walther's Guidance Counselor...
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Guidance from Grebasch: Bringing Students Vision and Vocation
Inspiration, motivation, education, vocation, a belief that you can succeed and an understanding of the gifts God has given you — if Walther counselor Gail Grebasch achieves the goals she has set for herself, every Walther student will carry the aforementioned assets with them when they leave high school and head off to the world of college and careers.
Grebasch comes to Walther with experience in teaching and counseling, both in the Lutheran and public school systems. After earning her Masters at Concordia University/River Forest, she went on to take additional training and classes in Career Education and Special Needs Students. In her own words, Grebasch is here “to support teachers and students.” “I’m very aware of Walther’s commitment to being college preparatory. I envision a huge push in the college and career counseling aspect of my position. For freshmen and sophomores that means helping them define who they are and discover the gifts God has given them. For juniors and seniors the focus will be more on college planning, she explains. “I want kids to have the academic support they need, programs to help them achieve, and a concern for their special needs,” she explains. There are two additional areas which Grebasch believes need extra emphasis – the career needs of the 21st century worker and help for special education students when it comes to college testing.
When it comes to motivating students, Grebasch believes in the“three Rs” of rigor, relevance and respect. She spells it out: “Students respond to a rigorous curriculum, to being pushed. I believe in setting the bar high and giving a young person every opportunity to reach it.” She emphasizes the need for students to believe that what they are learning is relevant. “For example,” she offers, “if you’re learning who fired the first shot at [the Battle of] Lexington, how does that relate to what is currently happening in Iraq?” “And respect,” Grebasch continues, “it’s not a given anymore. It needs to be developed. We must continually work on that.” She underscores that motivation is a team effort between administration, teachers and parents.
Working closely with Principal Stephen Zielke, Grebasch is designing a mentoring program. “We’ll be starting small and setting up networks. First we’ll need to mentor the mentors,” she says, “The end vision is that every student would have the opportunity to have the support of a significant adult in their life, other than a parent…someone to help them know and believe that their dreams are possible, someone to help them get back on track when they need to, and someone to listen to them.” The plan that Zielke and Grebasch envision is one that would ultimately involve Walther alumni, Concordia University students, Westlake hospital staff, and others from the community. They also envision such components as e-mentoring using e-mail or online connections and opportunities for Walther students to mentor younger children. “Mentoring of a youngster by kids that are considered high risk or have behavior problems can often bring out the best in the older child, something your never see when he’s with his peers,” Grebasch offers.
Grebasch is herself a product of a Lutheran education, and she has a real appreciation for the Lutheran system of infusing a Christian view on everything a child does. “Christianity is not just about Sunday morning or doing Lutheran church work. It’s about whether you’re on a garbage truck route or at the Board of Trade you reach out and witness to God’s love wherever you are,” she shares. “There’s no taking the ‘Christian’ out of a Christian. God has a purpose and plan for every child in this school. We can help direct them in discovering ther gifts and deciding where to go,” Grebasch concludes.
It is evident that Grebasch has discovered her gifts, and Walther can only benefit from her addition to the academic team. Zielke says, “I’m excited for students and parents about having Gail on staff. There are going to be positive changes taking place for students as they begin or complete college searches and she’s implementing new programs that will benefit all of our students.”
return to Walther's Virtual Guidance Office |
