Yutan’s new guidance counselor Missy Chvatal has always wanted the best for people. This is one of the traits that led to her career in education and counseling.
“I take you guys home with me. I’m that kind of a person, so if you’re having a rough day, that goes home with me, and I worry about you, and I think about you, and I just want to make sure that you’re okay,” Chvatal said.
This trait was present even before her career in education and could be seen throughout her teenage years.
“I was that friend in my friend group that my friends would come to; it seemed like I was always listening,” Chvatal said. “I was always the one that when they were having a meltdown or crying or needed to vent about their boyfriend or girlfriend, they were calling me.”
This role as a supportive friend inspired Chvatal to pursue a career in education. She attended the University of Missouri for a semester and then later graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). Before earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, she made connections with students through one of the classes she was taking.
“I was sent to a third grade classroom for one of my classes in Lincoln, and I spent a whole semester there observing and helping kids, so that was one thing that was very beneficial to me,” Chvatal said. “When I left the classroom, I remember feeling sad thinking I will never see these kids again.”
After college, she taught first at St. Wenceslaus in Wahoo, then at St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn. During her 16th year of teaching, a special group of students influenced her next decision.
“I had this group of students that were really struggling. They were carrying some really heavy loads,” Chvatal said. “And I recall that I went home and I thought, ‘I feel like I’m doing more counseling than I am teaching.’ And so I thought about it again and decided, maybe this is what I’m being called to do.”
These new ideas and experiences led Chvatal to earn her master’s in counseling from UNL. Since getting her degree as a counselor, Chvatal has worked at many different schools including St. Wenceslaus in Wahoo, St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn and Bishop Neumann before wanting to try something new and come to Yutan.
“I’ve never been one of those kinds of people that can stay in the same spot. I thrive on doing something different, something new,” Chvatal said.
Her excitement about joining Yutan was reinforced during an early staff meeting this year.
“Every single one of [Yutan’s] teachers or staff members said they loved being here because of each other. And I thought, ‘Wow, not every school do you hear that.’ I can’t tell you any of the schools that I’ve been to before that pretty much every single staff member said that. So I think that makes Yutan unique,” Chvatal said.
As Chvatal adjusts to Yutan, she expressed the importance of not imposing new methods immediately but taking time to understand the existing systems and how she can contribute positively.
“I don’t like it at my other schools when a new principal or a new staff member that was in charge of me would come in and say, ‘Well, this how we’re going to do it now,’ and not take the time to learn how we were already doing things. So that’s kind of how I view this first year for being here,” Chvatal said.
Instead, Chvatal plans to focus on developing relationships with her new students.
“I want to meet with every single kid at least once, like a one-on-one conversation,” Chvatal said. “I want to feel comfortable in the fact that I know you, I know your teachers, I know how I can support and help.”
Overall, she is ready to use her experiences and traits as a person to make Yutan better.
“I hope to contribute and make an already great school great. I hope that there’s something about me and my skills that will just improve what’s already here,” Chvatal said.
