Donna Clevenger

Ms. Donna Clevenger has been a school counselor for 18 years. She has been a counselor at Hidden Valley for two years. Ms. Clevenger grew up in Danville, VA, but her dad wanted to go into the ministry and they moved to Richmond when she was young. Then she moved a lot. Ms. Clevenger has four kids. She went to Radford for her first year to major in journalism, but they didn’t offer it anymore so she transferred to James Madison University. She didn’t graduate from James Madison University, but Ms. Clevenger got her master’s in education and graduated from Virginia Tech. Ms. Clevenger spends a lot of her time listening and helping children with their problems.

Ms. Clevenger cares about her kids. Sometimes students just want to talk to somebody who they know will care. She had one case where a first grader wanted to commit suicide. She said, “He just wanted someone to know he was sad.” Being a school counselor sometimes can cause you to miss an appointment with one of your students or not have enough time with them, but Ms. Clevenger still stays positive about her job. She said, “I want to see them more.” Ms. Clevenger is very cheerful when it comes to her job. She said, “It makes me happy when I see kids just being kids.”

Ms. Clevenger likes being a school counselor because she has always helped younger people. When she had her four kids they all were in different age groups and she noticed the school didn’t have a counselor who students can talk to when they’re having problems. So, after that she started being a school counselor. Ms. Clevenger loves her job and she’s always the first one at the school besides the principals. She just wants to have a head start before the day begins and be ready for her students. Ms. Clevenger doesn’t call the people she helps students, patients, or anything. She calls them her “kids.” Even her husband calls them that too. When she gets home he’ll even say, “How were the kids today?” Ms. Clevenger thinks her job is perfect for her and she loves every second of it.

                             Ms. Clevenger is a great school counselor and a caring person. Her positivity makes students feel comfortable talking about their problems and makes a difference in their lives. Ms. Clevenger’s enthusiasm and hard work are what make her a Hidden Hero!