As many of you may know, Mrs. Patricia Wilson is retiring after 45 and a half years as a member of the Beaver Area High School faculty. Mrs. Wilson’s last day as a Beaver Area High School guidance counselor is January 31.

“She’s like my mom and very loving, kind, caring, and a good person. I love the funny jokes that she makes. She helps me through everything and is someone that I can go to. She also motivates me,” shared junior James Reidy.

Some of you may not know that Mrs. Wilson’s career at Beaver Area High School started with her teaching middle school. She then climbed the ranks to being an elementary and junior high guidance counselor and then became a high school guidance counselor. Along the way she also earned her principal papers which means that she can be a certified principal—but in the end she liked her job as a guidance counselor so much that she never wanted to become a principal.

Although Mrs. Wilson says she is going to miss the students, faculty, and the relationships that she has made here she is looking forward to three upcoming trips . . . because what’s retirement without travel plans!

Her first trip is in April when she will accompany her husband on a business trip to Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Then in June she will take a family trip with her husband and two daughters to Turks and Caicos Islands. They are looking forward to scuba diving while there. Then in July she is taking a trip to Alaska.

In addition to traveling, Mrs. Wilson also plans on volunteering in her new-found free time. She is looking to volunteer at the library in Zelienople, but if that doesn’t work she plans to find some other ways to volunteer within her community. She also plans to continue attending the Y to stay healthy.

Although Mrs. Wilson will technically not be a part of the staff here as of January 31 it may not be the last time we see her. She plans on coming back to help her replacement at least until the end of this school year.

Colleague Mrs. Terri Belanger has worked with Mrs. Wilson for 11 years and when asked who would replace Mrs. Wilson after January 31 she said, “That information hasn’t been confirmed yet, though it should be confirmed by early next week.”

Close friend and colleague Mrs. Patti Gradisek has worked with Mrs. Wilson for close to 40 years. When asked about her favorite memory from her time working with Mrs. Wilson she said, “There are many memories, but the thing that stands out is when we worked with Coach Tarquino when he was a guidance counselor.”

Mrs. Gradisek explained that she enjoyed that time because the three counselors had such a great friendship and they had a lot of fun. She also elaborated that Mrs. Wilson she her had kids at roughly the same time and so not only do they have a great work relationship they also have a great personal relationship and lots of personal memories to look back on.

Mrs. Gradisek also went on to say, “Mrs. Wilson is like a sister to her—older sister that is.”

Mrs. Gradisek mentioned that Mrs. Wilson is such a “class act and the students are really going to miss her.”

Students like senior Jack Yanssens agree: “I’m going to miss walking past her in the hall knowing that she is always going to be there to smile and knowing that she is always there to talk to about stuff.”