Citizen of the Week: Always There, Kollasch Shares Care with Inman

Inman Elementary counselor Leslie Kollasch helps the Eagles feel safe in the nest.

Growing up in Illinois, seeing the way her friend’s mother, a teacher, interacted with and inspired her students opened Kollasch’s eyes.

“I knew then in my heart that I wanted to be in education,” she said. 

She went into special education and started teaching at the middle school level. When she was teaching in an old coal mining town in Illinois, she was touched by the family of one of her students. They had twin siblings, and the family couldn’t afford to put shoes on both of them. The encounter changed Kollasch’s trajectory.

“How are we expecting students to come to school and learn when their basic needs weren’t being met? So I started working with people in the community to get some resources in for families, and at that point is when I realized, you know what, I think I want to go into counseling,” she said. “I haven’t looked back ever since because I really feel like I love working with students and their families and their teachers.”

Kollasch moved to the county in 1998, teaching at JC Booth Middle, then Fayette County High before East Fayette Elementary, moving to Inman Elementary. It has been her home for more than 20 decades.

“Inman is who I am, it’s my existence. It’s my family and my heart and soul..”

The school is great because the staff truly loves the children and partners with families to help them thrive.

“I really feel like I’m fortunate to have this role where I can help support others and build meaningful relationships to make a positive difference in somebody’s life.”

As the school counselor, once a month she’ll visit each classroom with a special lesson, like setting goals at the start of the school year. She also runs small groups where they work on specific skills. If a parent knows their student needs more help, they can reach out and she will meet one-on-one. She also likes to get involved throughout the day.

“I like the kids just to see me, like I go into the cafeteria for lunch duty every day, just to build those relationships for when a student does have difficulty regulating their emotions. They feel comfortable in coming to me,” she said. “I am a safe space, and I try to make my room feel like a safe space.”

Her goal is to instill them with life skills like self-regulation or what to do when you’re anxious that will help them when they leave the Inman nest.

“My why is to really make sure every student here at Inman knows that they matter, they belong, they’re capable of anything they want to do, and that they’re loved. And I can help them find their confidence, discover their strengths, and navigate those challenges,” she said. “Our Eagles soar.”

She hopes she leaves a lasting impact of caring on her kids.

“I hope people realize that I am always there for them. I hope the students realize that they can always come to me,” she said. “Whenever I end a classroom lesson, I always blow them a kiss and I tell them to catch it and put it in their heart because I want them to know that, even whenever they’re 50 and I’m like 100 years old, I will still always be there for them.”