PLMS/PLHS Welcomes new Social Worker
Launch the media gallery 1 playerPLHS/PLMS is excited that this coming school year we will have a full-time social worker in our building. This is being provided by the Douglas county WRAP program through Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. This program puts social workers in schools across Douglas County, to provide additional support to all kids that need social or emotional issues beyond what a typical school counselor provides. Our new social worker for next year is Brittany Smith. She comes to us after working at Billy Mills Middle School in Lawrence last year as a therapist in the Secondary Therapeutic Classroom, where she worked with students with internalizing behaviors that made it difficult for them to function in a school setting.
Mrs. Smith grew up in the small township of Thompson, Ohio and attended Ledgemont High School. She earned her undergraduate degree from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and her masters in Mental Health Counseling at Emporia State. She wanted to be a social worker because she enjoys the psychology of people and science behind behaviors. After earning her masters she worked for KVC for several years working with foster kids. She enjoyed working with those kids and building relationships with schools to better support students in foster care.
Brittany is married to her husband Derek, they have two sons, Drake 18 months and Charles-Henry 3 months, plus three four-legged family members, Dietger, Banjo, and BB. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, painting, and when she can, she really enjoys being outside hunting, fishing, and gardening. She also enjoys reading fantasy novels around dragons, watching Marvel movies, and planning trips to unique non-tourist locations.
When asked why she wanted to be in the Perry-Lecompton district she replied, "I was excited because it is a smaller size school system which is where I am more comfortable, as I grew up in a small town. In addition, being a new position to the community, I was excited about the idea of paving the way rather than trying to follow in someone's footsteps. She is really looking forward to connecting with staff, community, and students, this is what I enjoy most about being a therapist is the connections I make. I feel that this community has the right atmosphere and willingness to make this a positive change."