This National School Counseling Week, and every week, we honor our RIMSD counselors for their support and commitment to helping our scholars THRIVE! Below, you can learn more about our counselors and their journey to serving our scholars and families.

Melanie Martinez, Edison Junior High School

Melanie Martinez

After graduating from WIU with her Master's, Melanie worked in Davenport for two years then took the opportunity to come back to her alma mater, Edison Junior High School in 2017. She loves working in the same community where she grew up with colleagues who are equally as committed to our scholars and proud to be Eagles. Her students make her proud every day with their willingness to work towards goals and learn new things! Besides counseling, she also enjoys coaching Country and Track at Edison.

Sallie Konrardy, Longfellow Liberal Arts

Sallie Konrardy

Sallie earned her degree from WIU-QC in 2018 and has been a part of RIMSD#41 ever since! Sallie completed her graduate school internship with the RIMSD, which made her transition even more meaningful. This is Sallie’s 7th year at Longfellow Liberal Arts and she absolutely LOVE being a Lion! School counseling allows Sallie to help students in many different ways. She loves being able to see students use skills that they practice in small groups and classroom lessons on their own. She’s grateful for the opportunity to give back through the school's partnership with her alma mater, Augustana College.

Karolyn Ingle, Rock Island High School

Karolyn joined the RIMSD three years ago after teaching at Davenport for 10 years. During her time there, she taught Spanish and worked with students in at-risk programs.

Karolyn Ingle

She spent a lot of time talking to her students about their mental health and personal issues they were experiencing. Those interactions inspired her to get her Master’s in Professional School Counseling. She loves working with the students at Rocky and is so grateful to be a Rock.

Kelly Preston, Rock Island High School

Kelly began her counseling career in 2000 and is celebrating her 25th anniversary as a school counselor, and 13th year working for the RIMSD. Kelly began her career as a teacher and realized that she wanted to serve and support students and families in a different capacity.

Kelly Preston

From that point, Kelly started her Masters Degree in School Counseling and has never looked back. While this career path has its challenges, Kelly shares that it is one of the most rewarding experiences because you get to help scholars and families with a variety of needs. It is rewarding for Kelly to witness that scholars and families trust counselors to provide services that will help them reach their potential, whether that be social-emotional support, academic support encouragement, or their post-secondary plans.

Shavonneè Singleton, Rock Island High School

Shavonneè Singleton

Shavonnè is one of many Rocky Alumni who decided to come back and serve their communities post-graduation. During her time as a student at Rock Island High School, she became the 3rd all-time leading scorer for the girls’ basketball program. She went on to play at Northern Illinois University after graduation. Her career journey with the RIMSD began five years ago at RIHS. She started as a hall monitor, then she became a paraprofessional, and now a school counselor. During this period, she also coached the girls’ varsity basketball team. She became a counselor because she’s always been that person that people go to for either advice or just a listening ear. Besides wanting to work with the youth, she knew school counseling was her calling. She loves helping others and believes that there’s no better place to go than where she grew up. She is grateful to give back to the community that she was raised in, and she’s also currently working on getting a PhD to better serve our scholars and community.

Amy Zero, Rock Island Academy

Before life as a School Counselor, Amy worked as a college admissions recruiter. Her primary role was to meet with high school students who would be a great match for her alma mater. As she worked in this field, she partnered with high school counselors across the state of Illinois, as well as Indiana, Colorado, California, and many more! She realized how amazing the opportunity would be to work on the other side of the desk, serving students beyond their college and career planning. Fast forward to 2014, she earned her Masters degree from WIU-QC after completing her internship at Rocky! She has been at Rock Island Academy ever since. As a School Counselor, Amy enjoys seeing her students' "Aha!" moments, whether it's academic, social, emotional, or behavioral. Amy is reminded daily how amazing and resilient our scholars are and can be. They inspire her beyond words can express. Amy is appreciative of all her scholars and staff at RIA for believing in her and the work counselors are doing to change lives!

Val Matson, Frances Willard Elementary School

Val began her teaching career in 2002 and earned her Master's in 2007 from WIU. She taught at the junior high level for 12 years and decided to switch to elementary school counseling when her children (twins) went to kindergarten. This is Val’s 11th year at Frances Willard. She received her education from Rock Island schools and has dedicated her entire career to this district. She is a “lifer”, she loves our families and children and believes they deserve the very best.

Dail Rice, Rock Island High School

Dail Rice

Dail is a 2004 Rock Island High School graduate, and he is grateful for the opportunity to give back to his school district. Dail earned his degree from WIU-QC in 2011 and has been a part of RIMSD#41 since 2013. Dail completed his graduate school internship within the district, which made his return as an employee even more meaningful. This is Dail’s 12th year in the district, five at the elementary level and seven at the high school level. Dail loves being a Rock, and school counseling allows Dail to help students in many different ways, such as working with students on their futures. Dail likes showing students how their academic performance, social life, and interests align to prepare them to be adult citizens.

Michelle Schneckloth, Eugene Field Elementary School

Michelle Schneckloth

After spending many years at home with her boys, Michelle decided to return to school and earn a degree to be a school counselor. She graduated from WIU in 2018 and has been at Eugene Field ever since. She loves being a school counselor because every day is different and she gets to have meaningful interactions with all the students in the school. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a counselor for Michelle is helping students work through challenges and overcome obstacles.

Katie Suiter, Washington Junior High School

This is Katie’s ninth year in the RIMSD! She earned her School Counseling degree from WIU-QC in 2016 and started her school counseling career at WJHS. She loves being able to help all students see their potential and work on skills that will help them succeed in all aspects of life.

Elvia Gutierrez-Goins, Ridgewood Elementary School

Elvia Goins

Elvia has been in the RIMSD for 30 years! She started as a paraprofessional, then a classroom teacher, and now a counselor. It has always been Elvia’s goal to be a school counselor. And this year, she's finally reached that goal. She’s very excited, overjoyed, and loving this new opportunity from the RIMSD!

Becca Petersen, Rock Island Academy

This is Becca’s first year officially employed by the RIMSD as a school counselor. After completing her graduate internships at Denkmann and Rock Island High School, she knew she wanted to work in this wonderful, diverse, and energetic district. After completing her first year post-grad in Davenport, she is happy to be back in Rock Island and serving students at Rock Island Academy!

Athletics

Celebrating our Counselors