NEWS

Hometown Hero: Van Tighem cherishes counselor title

Kristen Cates
GreatFalls


Kathy Van Tighem, counselor at Great Falls High, is the Tribune’s Hometown Hero for June.

Hometown Heroes is a monthly Tribune series dedicated to honoring those who have made a difference in the lives of others. Each person featured is responsible for nominating another person — not related to them — who has inspired them in some way.

Kathy Van Tighem appears to wear the title of counselor well.

Whether it's giving students at Great Falls High career advice or helping children at Camp Francis grieve the loss of a loved one, Van Tighem believes she's living her calling to work with kids — through the best and worst times in life.

"I think it just all comes back to relationships," she said. "We do a lot of tough stuff (as counselors). But we also get to see a lot of really great moments."

Van Tighem's level of compassion and commitment to her work is why Mary Pat Smith nominated the 20-year teaching veteran for the Hometown Hero recognition on behalf of her late husband, Jerry Smith, who was May's hometown hero.

"Whatever she gets involved in, she just puts her all into it," Mary Pat Smith said of Van Tighem. "She puts in 100 percent — plus."

A Great Falls native who earned her bachelor's degree in education and English from Montana State University-Northern in Havre, Van Tighem said she had her heart set on teaching in Great Falls after her student teaching experience. But there were no jobs available. She said Jerry Smith, who was one of her teaching mentors, encouraged her to apply anyway.

Van Tighem said that summer, Great Falls' levy request had failed twice and the district offered an early retirement incentive to some of its teaching staff, which allowed her to slip in and get a job teaching English at Great Falls High. She said it would be another eight years before there was an English teacher opening in the district.

She developed curriculum and implemented a humanities elective course at Great Falls High where they talked about art, art history and literature, among other topics.

"It was just a cool opportunity to let kids explore this area," Van Tighem said.

She was also encouraged to start working on her master's degree early in her education career and was considering something with curriculum, but found herself enjoying her psychology classes and switched to a master's in school counseling.

It was also during this time that her grandmother became terminally ill and was in hospice care at the old Columbus Hospital. She became interested in studying and understanding the grief process. Van Tighem said it brought back memories of what it was like when she was 5 and her 8-year-old cousin died of a brain tumor rather quickly after diagnosis.

"Grief is universal; we're all going to experience it," Van Tighem said. "But there are ways to heal that grief."

She was getting involved in Benefis's Peace Hospice program and learned of the children's bereavement program and then heard about Camp Francis, a weeklong event at Camp Rotary in the Little Belt Mountains for kids who are grieving. She went for the first time 18 years ago to offer her skills as a counselor.

"I was just blown away by the campers and their stories," she said.

She spent eight years working as a counselor and for the last 10 has directed the camp, recruiting volunteers, training them and making sure the 30 kids ages 6-12 who come to camp are able to have a positive experience. Van Tighem said they try to have a mix of new campers and experienced campers. Every activity and every day is designed for a specific purpose. After camp she talks to parents who thank her for the fact their child is smiling again.

"Really, it's all about people," Van Tighem said. "One thing that's amazing about Camp Francis is that it's not just about the kids, but the whole family."

As much time as she's spent counseling kids — she's got a caseload of 250 to 300 students at Great Falls High every year — Van Tighem has also had to listen to her own heart along the way.

About nine years ago, she took a leave of absence from counseling for a year without knowing exactly what she was going to do. A long-term relationship had just ended and Van Tighem was 32 and thinking about what else she might be capable of accomplishing. She went to work for the Benefis Health Foundation working in development and said she loved it. She loved raising money for important causes and enjoyed watching Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute come together.

"People would ask me what I did and I said, 'Oh, I'm a teacher who is taking a year off,'" Van Tighem said.

She couldn't quit calling herself a teacher, and one day C.M. Russell High School was in crisis over a student's suicide at the school and she wasn't in a position to help. She knew she needed to go back to the school setting and decided a career in fundraising for important causes could come later in life.

She doesn't regret her year off and actually suggests other teachers do it as well. It can help develop skills they have outside of the classroom and also brings a deeper appreciation of the work teachers do. There's nothing like watching a child develop into healthier, whole people who are ready to take on the world once they graduate high school.

"There's nothing like it in the world to see someone have that transformation and transition," Van Tighem said. "Right now, I'm just so happy with what I'm doing."

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Kristen Cates at 791-1463. Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_KCates.

Heroes so far

Here's a brief history of Hometown Heroes:

Schelli Bolta (November) — Bryan Martin

Bryan Martin (December) — Michelle Chenoweth

Michelle Chenoweth (January) — Trina Knoche

Trina Knoche (February) — Joan Redeen

Joan Redeen (March) — Marilyn Hall

Marilyn Hall (April) — Jerry Smith

Jerry Smith (May) — Kathy Van Tighem

Kathy Van Tighem (June) — John Borgreen (to come in July)