Welcoming Ms. Patrick to Apex High 

Madeline Rudd and Amanda Dybal
Staff Writers

Tell us about yourself? Ms. Patrick was born in Pennsylvania, later moved to Ohio. When she first started working in the school system, she was originally an elementary teacher but later got her degrees in school counseling and psychology.  She now has four children, the youngest being an Apex graduate.
What were you like as a student? When we asked her what she was like as a student, she said, “Most educators were good students in school.” She also played lacrosse through high school, which was a new sport in schools for women and was only up north in the Pennsylvania area.

What made you want to come to Apex High School? How do you like Apex so far? When she came to Wake County, she was assigned an elementary school to work as the psychologist. She really liked it, but once she became more experienced in school psychologist she was assigned to middle and high schools. Usually the assignments are random, but she had connections to Apex because her daughter is a graduate. She put in a request, and it was granted!
After being at Apex, is there anything you would want to change about it? Laughing while answering this, Ms. Patrick said that she would definitely change the campus. She told us it was the exact same building her daughter went to, and it really needs an upgrade.
How does it compare to other schools that you have been at in the past/your other schools? Do you like working with middle schoolers or high schoolers more? She says that she loves all the schools that she works at, but the freedom that students have in high school is one of her favorites. “High school is full of energy,” which is another thing she loves about it. Also, she talked about how different high school kids are from middle school kids. “Sixth graders are very different from twelfth graders,” she added.
Can you give us a little insight about your daily schedule as a school psychologist? What would your process with a student entail? On a normal day, Ms. Patrick supports students who may be having difficulties performing in a certain areas of class. For example, she would help a student with a learning disabilities such as dyslexia by evaluating the student and then go through interventions and skill teaching.
What made you choose to go into psychology specifically with the youth?  What is the best part about it? She told us that she loves working with kids no matter the age and wants to make a difference so that children can learn to their highest ability.  Her favorite part of her job is getting to know the kids she will work with, whether it is through looking at their test results or talking to them
Do you have any advice for someone who would want to go into youth psychology, or just into the psychology field? “If you wanted to become a psychologist, educate yourself,” Ms. Patrick says. “It is important to know what classes you must take in order to become certified in psychology.”
If you were not a psychologist what would you want to do? Why? Ms. Patrick says that if she did not decide to go into psychology, she would still love to work with children or possibly go into art.
What would you tell your high school self? She would tell herself to believe in what she did. “My youth gave me lots of strengths,” she states.