As a way to increase substance prevention, Sarah Spiess comes to St. Dominic every Tuesday to give presentations and speak to students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Taking the role of a counselor, Spiess will be officially joining the St. Dominic community next year and has been welcomed with open arms.

This year, St. Dominic made the transition of moving the current counselors into the official position of College and Career Coordinators. This way, students will have college guidance but also a certified counselor to talk to about personal and family situations, receive support for anxiety and other mental illnesses and learn from drug and alcohol education. Spiess understands what some students go through and how to treat them from her own life experiences.

“Being the child of an alcoholic, teens have always been something that I like to reach out to. A lot of times, they don’t realize how it impacts them,” said Spiess.

After attending Duchesne High School, Spiess graduated from Mizzou in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology and multicultural studies. She is currently enrolled at Lindenwood University, set to graduate this May with a master’s degree in professional counseling and next May with one in school counseling.

However, Spiess is qualified in more than just academic degrees. After working as a “house mom” for kids in the system at Mizzou, being involved in a service learning project for a children’s oncology board and spending three years at Preferred Family Healthcare, she has the firsthand experience of dealing with teenagers that is necessary for a high school counselor.

“I knew my ability to reach people who just needed somebody to talk to was there,” said Spiess.

With the administration’s new drug and alcohol policy next year, some might assume that Spiess is involved in the testing. However, she is not hired by the school; rather, she has been sent in by PFH, a nonprofit organization funded by tax payers to educate on substance prevention in high school students. She has absolutely nothing to do with the testing, but it’s possible that she will be a facilitator for those misusing to follow recommendations.

Spiess will likely have an office next to Mr. George’s next year. If anyone needs to contact her now or in the future, she has a box in the office with request forms. Her e-mail address is [email protected]. Sarah Spiess will be an asset to the St. Dominic community in furthering student safety and education.