Mrs. Schneider may have once been a Fieldstone Falcon, but she is now a Pascack Hills Cowboy… and proud of it! If there is anyone who is going to bring excitement and energy to the dull college application process, it’s Mrs. Schneider.  Whether it is in middle school or high school, Mrs. Schneider has primarily been a guidance counselor. However, that was not always her plan. In fact, she originally dreamed of being on a soap opera… but that idea ended quickly. Hopefully the drama of high school will be a close second.

“I always wanted to be some kind of support for kids in a school whether it was in the classroom or as a counselor,” she says. “That started very young.”

Having been a counselor in both the middle school and high school setting, Mrs. Schneider has come to learn their similarities and differences. What she really loves about the high school scene, however, is that “you’re really working with young adults now. You’re speaking to young women and young men. It’s really nice to have that exchange.”

Mrs. Schneider has a unique perspective of the Pascack Hills class of 2016. Having been the guidance counselor for Montvalers in eighth grade, she has not seen most of her students in the past four years. Through some kind of time machine, Mrs. Schneider now sees her once little eighth graders as big high school seniors in the halls of Hills.

“I can see how much they’ve matured, how they have such a scope on their future,” she says. “It’s really nice to see that development and where they are in life and how they’re working so hard and enjoying high school. It’s like I’m watching my kids grow up.”

Speaking of growing up, let’s throw this article back to the 90s. One thing you may not know about your newest guidance counselor is her profound knowledge of pop culture trivia. Next time you see her in the hallway, I personally dare you to ask her a question about anything circa 90s and tell her your name. If she reports the occasion back to me, you will receive a gift card on behalf of the Trailblazer. You never know, it could be a nice icebreaker to get to know the newest member of the Pascack Hills family.

So, whether it’s a wave in the hallway or a quick stop at her office, a question about Saved by the Bell or Beverly Hills 90210, I encourage you to take a second to introduce yourself to Mrs. Schneider. Fitting right in with the rest of the Pascack Hills staff, she truly has your happiness and future in mind.

As her first formal address to all students at Hills she says, “enjoy every second and do what makes you happy. It’s your life and you are the only one who knows how you want to live it.”