My name is Katie Hilgert and I am the new Student Social Services Director.  I am super excited to become a member of the HHS family and a fellow Topper!  I want to take a moment to tell you a little bit about myself and some of the things I hope to accomplish this school year.

I am originally from Nokomis and lived there most of my life.  I graduated from Nokomis High School in 1995.  I received my bachelor's degree in social work from Southern Illinois Uviversity in Carbondale in 1999.  After I graduated from SIU, I worked at Kemmerer Village as a caseworker for three years before moving to Champaign to attend graduate school.  I graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign in 2004 with my Master of Social Work degree with a school specialization.  I have been a school social worker for the past 17 years working primarily in the Taylorville school district.  Although I have worked prekindergarten through grade twelve, the majority of my work and time has been spent at the high school grade levels.  While I love kids in general, I have a soft spot for the high school population.

On a personal note, my husband, John, is from Alton and we "met in the middle" and moved to Gillespie about three years ago, shortly before getting married.  I am a "GaGa" to two granddaughters and one grandson.  I am also a proud aunt of several nieces and nephews.  Some of my hobbies include cooking and traveling.  

I believe strongly in the importance of building personal relationships with students, thinking outside the box and doing whatever it takes to to provide a positive environment for kids to learn and grow, not only academically but socially and emotionally as well.  Some of the services and assistance I can provide through the counseling office include:

*  Provide individual counseling to students as needed 

*  Provide group sessions as needed (study skills, grief, coping skills, etc.)

*  Mediate student conflicts

*  Respond to parent concerns

*  Direct the Sources of Strength suicide prevention program

*  Crisis Intervention

*  Assist families in identifying and locating needed resources

*  Coordinate standardized testing and social/emotional screening

Please do not hesitate to contact me via phone at (217) 532-2841 or email khilgert@hillsboroschools.net if I can ever be of assistance.  See my helpful resources on this page.  I look forward to serving HHS students and families and wish everyone a great school year!  

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