As some of you might have noticed, students and staff at Liberty were recently informed that we would be getting a new counselor starting next year. Her name is Ms. Riley and she will be taking over the last names L-R that Mr. Cunningham has had in the past starting July 1. 

“Mrs. Riley has a passion for working with students. She cares about their being successful in high school and beyond,” Mr. Cunningham said.

Through this year she has been interning here at Liberty as well as working at Stone Creek, Prairie View, and Discovery Ridge in the Gifted Education program.

“I wanted to be an educator because I believe education is truly a gift and can open so many doors for people. I love making a positive impact on students by equipping them with knowledge, empowering them with self-efficacy, and eliminating barriers to their goals and dreams,” Ms. Riley said. 

Ms. Riley has also been awarded the Creativity Award, Arts of Life Award, and Mary Ann Conaway Award. But even with these accomplishments, she still has some worries about starting this new opportunity. “There is always someone to help and work to be done.  I am worried there might be a student that needs help and is not sure how to ask for help. I would encourage that student to come and talk to one of our counselors.”

Her internship with the help of Ms. Gerringer has been preparing for what is to come. Some days she runs reports to make sure students like us have the class we need to succeed, sometimes she is working with PSAT and SCC, and other times she does one of the harder parts of her job which is to help a student when they just need some to talk too.

Ms. Riley has been in WSD for a while now and when she thought of being a counselor for high school students she had many to choose from. 

“Liberty High School is a wonderful place to work and grow,” Ms. Riley said. “I am here because of the people. The staff is amazingly supportive and always willing to help. Each day everyone greets you like you belong — even if you are an intern just here in the mornings.  The students are welcoming, and I love seeing some of the students I had when I taught at Discovery Ridge Elementary.”

The staff at Liberty have also taken a liking to Ms. Riley and are happy that she is join the family next year. “Mrs. Riley has been great over the past year. She has great attention to detail, relates well to students, and genuinely cares about ensuring our students are cared for.”

She is also extremely excited to start next year here at Liberty full time. “I am most excited to work with students each day and help them find their dreams and work with them to take actionable steps toward those dreams.”