HUMBOLDT — It’s a tough time for kids these days.
Darcie Croisant remembers all too well the pressures of growing up, particularly as a middle-schooler.
“My parents went through a divorce when I was young,” she recalled.
One of the ways she coped was by visiting regularly with her school counselor.
It stood to reason that she grew to pursue a career in education. It also was not much of a stretch to see the educator eventually find her dream job as a school counselor.
Now in her fifth year as the Humboldt Middle School counselor, Croisant’s work is getting noticed elsewhere.
She was recognized this summer with the Kansas School Counselor Association Promise Award.
This goes to a promising new school counselor for leadership, advocacy and collaboration.
The award goes to any counselor still within their first five years on the job.
While such a recognition is nice, Croisant said, the true reward is getting to follow her dream.
“It’s something of a passion of mine to make a true difference in a kid,” she said. “Middle school is a challenging time for an adolescent.”
CROISANT taught for 14 years before becoming a school counselor in 2020.
She credits Misty Czarnowsky, Humboldt Elementary School counselor, for leading the charge to get a counselor for the middle school level.
Prior to that, Czarnowsky counseled kindergarten through eighth grades.
“She spoke about how difficult it was to balance time through both places,” Croisant said. “It helped our district.”
CROISANT has taken a proactive approach from Day 1, spearheading a number of programs to reach the youth at HMS.
