After nine years at Manitou Springs High School, Alisha Strupp, the counselor for students with last names K-Z at MSHS, is wrapping up her final year at MSHS.
She was offered an opportunity to be a counselor at Fountain Fort Carson High School and felt that with her retirement being a while from now, moving was the right choice. “It’s not that I don’t love this place; I absolutely love this place. I love the students here so much, and I love the staff so much,” Strupp said. “It’s just an opportunity that presented itself and it just worked out, and it happened really fast. I have another 20 years left in my career, so it’s just time for a change.”
Strupp was inspired to become a counselor at a young age. “I had a relationship with my own school counselor when I was in middle school going through a really tough time in my life,” she said. “Then in my graduate school opportunities, I had the opportunity to be a counselor for middle school girls, and that really solidified what I wanted to do with my life.”
As a counselor, Strupp always tries to focus on improving the lives of students. “I think that ultimately my goal is to make an impact on students’ lives,” she said, “and the goal is always to be there and be an advocate for students. I want to make their lives a better place and to remove barriers for them and to really just help them have a positive experience in their school setting.”
Strupp feels that Manitou Springs is a unique and beautiful setting to work. “Manitou is a very special place and the people that work here are incredibly amazing and passionate. They want to help kids, and it’s just such a beautiful place,” she said. “It’s not that I’m leaving because I don’t like it here, I love it so much; but sometimes things change in people’s lives and that change is inevitable.”
Strupp believes that counseling is not only about schedules and school-related issues. They are not therapists, but they also help with personal issues. “I hope that kids will continue to swing by and build a relationship with us,” Strupp said. “We are here to advocate for you around every aspect of your high school experience.”
Strupp believes it’s difficult to make everyone love their schedule, but the counselors do their best. “We are always acting in students’ interests and what is best for them,” Strupp said.
With Christoper Lewis, the A-K counselor, being new to the school, Strupp has served as a mentor. “She’s been helping me transition to figure out what it means to be a Manitou counselor,” Lewis said.
Lewis believes that Strupp is a level-headed counselor. “She always advocates for kids. It’s like she always has her feet on the ground,” Lewis said.
While Lewis is excited for Strupp’s next step, he knows it will be a hard transition. “It will be difficult to lose her as a colleague,” Lewis said.
Lewis believes that Strupp is a wonderful counselor and her moving will have a big impact for MSHS. “She’s awesome and she’s fantastic, it’ll be a big loss,” Lewis said.
Meleah Perkins, the administrative assistant for counseling at MSHS, believes that her son, Ben Perkins, is a prime example of Strupp’s relationship with her students. “Ben questioned whether he wanted to go in the Air Force or go to college,” Meleah Perkins said, “and she’s been helping him walk through that process, making the phone calls to recruiters, and making phone calls to the schools. She takes that extra time to make sure that she helps them in any way that she can.”
Perkins feels saddened that Strupp is leaving. “We’ve grown really close,” she said.
Ben Perkins, a senior counseled by Strupp and the son of Meleah Perkins, has known Strupp since sixth grade and feels that she has impacted him throughout that time. “She’s been there every step of the way throughout college planning and trying to find scholarships and everything,” Ben Perkins said. “She’s been there with me throughout my entire journey, so she’s been a great help in getting me to where I am today.”
Ben Perkins believes that Strupp strives to do good by every single one of her students. He feels that he won’t be impacted by Strupp’s absence, but he believes that his mom will be. “I mean, I’m a senior, so it doesn’t really affect me as much,” Ben Perkins said, “but I know for my mom, she was pretty saddened to hear that she was leaving because Ms. Strupp was a good friend.”
