Being new can be a hassle, especially when not everyone has the time to try to get to know you. Mrs. Aalderks is the new guidance counselor at G-R, and we wanted everyone to get the chance to get to know her because she is a great addition to our staff! She has been a counselor for many years and loves what she does. She enjoys the smaller school atmosphere and even grew up with it; she graduated from North Iowa High School. Ever since she was a young girl, she knew she wanted to help kids with their problems and give them hope, she says.

Mrs. Aalderks was a K-12 school counselor for three years at Armstrong-Ringsted. Then, she worked for seven years as an at-risk counselor at Southeast Polk High School. Before coming to G-R, she stayed home with her daughters and ran a daycare in her home for two years. “I am so excited to be back in a career I love,” Mrs. Aalderks said.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNI, but her passion was to help kids who are struggling, so she decided that she wanted to work with all kids in a school setting and went back to school for her master’s in professional school counseling.

Outside of her professional duties, Mrs. Aalderks has a husband named Mark and two little girls, Maya and Lola. Her favorite food is steak and veggies, favorite color is blue, and her favorite sport is golf. She also really enjoys running. While many people do not know her very well yet, she is slowly building relationships and meeting new people. So far, Mrs. Aalderks is enjoying her time at G-R and is hoping to stay with us for a long time! If you get the chance, pop in the counselor’s office and introduce yourself.