Hello readers of The Shield! Today, we are honored to interview Mr. Vinson, our recent addition to our counseling staff. He is known for many things, from Counselor to City Hall Worker to Batman Fan to Mr. V, the beloved Charter Oak mentor. Now, Mr. Vinson works here at Richwoods as a fifth counselor, due to the growing population of our school. He is caring, fun, easy to get along with, and is a perfect fit for the job! 

What other jobs have you held, school or otherwise, before working as a counselor here, after graduating from college? 

“I worked at CT Vivian elementary school as their ISS teacher, and then Charter Oak as a mentor, and then worked at City Hall of Peoria, and lastly worked at Woodruff as a career coach before coming here.” 

How long have you worked with Peoria District 150? 

“I would say about 9 years total between my 5 jobs.” 

Why did you decide to become a counselor at Richwoods? 

“I just felt like I needed to help the students at the high school level figure things out.” 

What is your favorite aspect of being a counselor? 

“My favorite aspect about being a counselor is that I have the ability to work with and help students that really need it.” 

Where did you go to high school and college, and what were they like? 

“I went to High School in a city called West Memphis, Arkansas (I was born in Littlerock) and I went to college at ISU in Normal.” 

What is your best piece of advice for high school and college? 

“If you have a dream, work hard to achieve it.” 

What are your hobbies outside of school? 

“I like playing with my kids and spending time with my wife, and I play sport video games and Red Dead Redemption.” 

If you could have a lunch meeting with any living person, who would you choose and why? 

“I would like to have lunch with our former president Barack Obama. I really enjoyed having him as president, and I would like to know how he thinks.”  

If you could visit any place in the world for one week, where would you go and why? 

“I would go to Mexico, and I would like to go just to enjoy myself. The beaches down there are beautiful.” 

What is your favorite thing about working with kids? 

“My favorite thing about working with kids is building trust and allowing them to feel safe.” 

What has been the best moment so far this school year for you? 

“The best part of this school year has been seeing students I had back in elementary school about to graduate.” 

What do you look forward to most this school year? 

“I look forward to being available for my students, and I also look forward to being able to help any student that needs me!” 

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our wonderful counselor, and thank you Mr. Vinson for honoring us with your time and knowledge! Have a great one, Knights!