By Ellie Smith & Lauren Cullen
Features Editor & Managing Editor
After a total of forty years in education, twenty-six of which have been at Westford Academy, Guidance Counselor Barbara Kutner is retiring.
Kutner graduated from a Canadian high school and then went on to the University of Manitoba, also located in Canada. After college, she taught English and Social Studies at a junior high in Canada before moving to the San Francisco Bay area to teach English at a private school.
During her time in California she attended San Jose State University to receive her master’s degree in education in school counseling. She became a guidance counselor at the school she was teaching at while still teaching English. Kutner immediately realized that working with kids individually was something she had a interest in. Soon, she moved to a full time guidance position.
“There was a need for me to become full time in the guidance department, so I went and never looked back,” said Kutner. “I fell in love with guidance counseling.”
Although she did make the switch from teaching to counseling, Kutner said the time she spent teaching was valuable to her because she is able to empathize with and understand things from the teachers’ point of view.
Kutner moved across the U.S. in 1985 and spent three years as a guidance counselor at Holliston High School, before coming to WA in 1988.
According to Kutner, many things have changed at WA since 1988.
“Enrollment was around 800 students, and the building was much smaller. There were only four guidance counselors,” she said.
Kutner saw many other changes at WA including the staff growing, and especially the large addition WA underwent in 2000.
Another change included how the students used to be split into two houses, house “A” and house “B”. Each house had its own separate guidance office, much different than the one large office now.
Currently, Kutner is the coordinator of both the Advanced Placement program and the foreign exchange program here at WA.
Guidance Department Coordinator Wendy Pechacek said it will be nothing short of difficult to find a replacement for Kutner.
“She has been in charge of these programs for so long, it will be difficult to find someone that can transition in smoothly and take care of the programs[that Kutner is in charge of] the way she[Kutner] does,” Pecachek said.
Kutner said it will be sad to leave her students at WA, especially those students who she will not be able to see finish their high school careers.
“It really is a privilege to see students develop over four years that are very important in their lives,” she said.
As for her retirement plans,Kutner said she is looking forward to traveling with her husband and visiting her grandchildren on the West coast. She said she might even take on a part time job at the college level at some point. Kutner also said she wants to do some volunteer work and develop other interests that she isn’t already involved in.
Pecachek said she will miss Kutner very much, especially since they have worked together for so long.
“I’m going to miss my neighbor across the way here…we’ve been neighbors for fourteen years,” said Pecachek.
Kutner said even though she will miss WA, she can’t wait for the next chapter of her life to begin.
“I’m very excited for the future,” she said.
