Our Counselor Vanessa Chappell
I was born and raised in Calera, Oklahoma. Calera is a very small town in Southeastern Oklahoma. It is so small that it doesn't even have a stop light. My mother, Nancy Chappell, was the Elementary principal there for 30 years and my father, Michael, was a "doughboy" for the Pillsbury Company for 25 years. They have both retired and enjoy life back home on the farm in Calera. I have one sister, Vicky, who is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon with Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas. I most recently lived in Yukon, Oklahoma and taught middle school alternative education for the past eight years in Mustang, Oklahoma.
I received my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in1994 and my Master's degree in School Guidance and Counseling from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2006.
People often ask how I found my way to Smithville, Texas. I answer by saying that I fell in love with central Texas while visiting friends and decided it would be a wonderful place to live. I got lucky last spring at the Region XIII job fair by meeting Mr. Sage, who passed my name to Mrs. Brinker. The rest, as they say, is history.
I love being the counselor for the teachers and students of Brown Primary School. I love being able to work with young children again. I'd forgotten how much fun I used to have as a primary teacher's aide and as a nanny. But my favorite part of being at Brown is probably that my dog, Madi is not only welcomed here, she is loved. Having her with me at school is a joy. She is the perfect instructional aid when teaching the students good character traits. Plus, she shares her special kind of puppy love !
