A guiding light: Whitefish counselor goes the distance to help students

During the final oral examination for her master’s degree, Barb Mansfield was asked, “How would you handle a student that you really, truly hated?” 

Mansfield recalls being completely taken aback. 

“I was in shock,” she said. “How could I ever, ever hate a student? I may sometimes dislike what they’ve done, or be frustrated, but I could never hate them.” 

The Whitefish High School counselor shakes her head and decades later still stands by that statement. 

“They keep me young,” Mansfield said of the high school students. “They always keep me on my toes.”

Mansfield has been one of two guidance counselors at Whitefish High School for the past 17 years, working mostly with junior and senior students as they prepare for high school graduation and what comes after. 

This includes helping students choose colleges, apply for scholarships, join the military or move into the work force. 

However, Mansfield says her job also necessitates helping students with personal aspects in their lives. 

“They just need to know they have a safe place,” Mansfield said. “Sometimes, they need a place where they can come talk, or get mad, and not be judged. That’s why I’m here.” 

Mansfield was born in Glasgow, but moved to Havre when she was 4. She attended what was then Northern Montana College, now Montana State University-Northern. She majored in secondary education, specifically focused on high school science. 

For 20 years, Mansfield taught high school science in the rural community of Jordan. However, in 1996, when the Freeman events began to happen, Mansfield and her husband decided they wanted a change. 

“We wanted something different, and that seemed like as good a time as any,” Mansfield said. “It wasn’t a great place for my daughter at that time.” 

Mansfield had received her master’s in K-12 counseling from Northern Montana College and was looking for a full-time counseling job. 

The couple settled on the Whitefish area, where they had family and had vacationed in the past. 

“It was like coming to the big city,” Mansfield recalled. “My daughter was completely enthralled. She looked out the window and said, ‘Mom, we can have pizza delivered to our house here!’” 

Mansfield applied for the counseling job at Whitefish High School, and was thrilled when she was hired. 

Since then, she has been a staple in the school, helping kids out both scholastically and personally. 

Mansfield said the hardest part of her job is trying to help students who have the desire to go to school but believe that they can’t succeed. 

“Sometimes, they’ve never had a person behind them,” she said. “Maybe they’ve just been given up on too soon.” 

Mansfield says she sees a lot of students who can’t afford to continue their education after high school or believe they don’t have the grades for it. 

“I try to teach them that you don’t need a four-year degree to do fantastic,” she said. “If they can find a skill that they excel at or find interesting, those are the students that light up and find their place. Soon enough, they find a job, and get promoted. Then they see, ‘Wow, I can be successful.’” 

Throughout her career, Mansfield has seen a need to give extra help to some students in the system. Many times, she said, high school students are going through the most difficult part of their lives. Often, they’re dealing with personal problems, such as dating or friendships, or monetary concerns. 

“You look at what they go through, and what they’re dealing with, and I don’t know how they do it,” Mansfield said. “I know I didn’t have to deal with stuff like that at their age.” 

Mansfield said when she sees a student struggling at home with finances or relationships, her primary concern is their safety. She wants to make sure the students still eat well, have a safe place to sleep and dress comfortably. 

“When you have issues with any of those, where do you seek help?” she asked. 

In her work with the Whitefish Soroptimist Club, Mansfield has begun to formulate several solutions. 

The club is the local chapter of an international women’s organization founded in 1921. The club’s mission is to improve the lives of women and children, and the Whitefish chapter goes above and beyond in that respect. The club owns and operates the Thrift Haus in Whitefish with an all-volunteer work force.

The Soroptimists donate all of the store proceeds to local nonprofits such as North Valley Food Bank and the Abbie Shelter. 

Mansfield, who was once president of the Whitefish chapter, originally became aware of Soroptimists when the group gave her a $250 scholarship to attend college. She became involved in the Whitefish chapter in 2000 and has since used her connections in the club to provide students with coats or clothes. 

When Mansfield or another teacher notices a student is struggling to find supplies, Mansfield approaches the student and offers them a voucher to use at the Thrift Haus. This way, the student can pick out the clothes or supplies he or she needs without feeling embarrassed. 

Mansfield is hoping to spread the program wider this fall. She will distribute vouchers to surrounding schools such as Columbia Falls and possibly Kalispell so teachers don’t have to go through her. 

“If they see someone in need, they can just hand them out,” said Mansfield. “No questions asked.” 

In this same way, Mansfield and the organization help others in the area, including families in need. 

“When a family has a fire, we let them come in and pick out home supplies and things they need,” Mansfield said. “It’s things like that that can end up really making a difference.” 

Another way Mansfield helps students is making sure the students are still eating well, even if they are struggling financially or living on their own. The high school offers programs that allow students to sign up for the meals they need. A student would simply need to talk to Mansfield about being part of the program. 

Mansfield said the Soroptimist club also offers scholarships so students can attend Flathead Valley Community College. 

“How else do you help someone?” Mansfield asked. “You educate them. Then they have that skill and they go out and help others.”

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.