PBL High School Counseling Center - Meet your School Counselors

Mrs. Mindy Duley (Students A-L)

Hello, PBL!

I am looking forward to an awesome school year and am excited to begin another year as a School Counselor.

A little bit about my background…I grew up here and graduated from PBL High School. I then attended Illinois State University, where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Math Education. After graduation, I was hired as a math teacher at PBL High School, where I taught for 20 years. During that time, I earned two Master’s Degrees. One was in Educational Administration through Eastern Illinois University, and the other was in School Counseling through Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I began my career as a high school counselor in 2025, and I absolutely love my job!

I am married to Travis, who is also an educator. We have three children who all attend PBL - one at each building! Our oldest son is a sophomore at the high school, our other son is in 8th grade at the junior high, and our youngest daughter is in 4th grade at Clara Peterson. They are very active and involved, and we love watching them participate in all of their activities!

Please know that my door is always open, and I would love to help you in any way I can! Whether you need support with your academics, social-emotional well-being, or college and career readiness, I am here for you. I hope you have a wonderful school year, and I look forward to getting to know and working with all of you!

Mrs. Lisa Niewold (Students M-Z)

Hey everyone! I can't wait for another new school year - full of fresh starts and new beginnings for all of us. Read along to learn a little more about me and my background.

After graduating high school in Tolono, IL - I first went to Parkland. While at Parkland I completed the majority of my general education requirements! Afterwards, I pursued my Bachelor's Degree at the University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in Education in 2005. I then began teaching 5th grade in Paxton. Fun fact, I student-taught in Loda (in a trailer behind the school)!

After teaching for a few years I then went back to school to Eastern Illinois and received my Educational Administration Master's Degree. I love to learn! I then switched from teaching 5th grade and began teaching 4th grade. In total, I taught in the elementary classroom for 14 years in Paxton. I began in 2022 at the high school and in the spring of 2024, I completed my Master's in School Counseling through Southeastern Oklahoma State University!

I am married to Greg, a PBL graduate, and together we have 4 children. My youngest is starting 1st grade and my oldest will be in 10th grade, time flies! They keep us very busy!

I love to exercise, drink Diet Coke, and stay organized. I'm excited to help you think through your school years here at PBL High School and whatever your plans might be after you graduate.

I'm here to help YOU! So, let's get started - have a great school year!

As your school counselors, our 3 primary goals are to help you with:

1. Academics

Scheduling, monitoring grades, planning for future academic plans college/career, monitoring credits/transcripts, study skills, organization, connecting students with resources, and anything else related to your academic success.

2. Career (post-high school planning - including college)

College application process, college visits, college exploration, scholarship applications, job shadows, career interest inventories, career research and exploration, resume and interview guidance, and anything else related to your plans for after high school.

3. Personal and/or Social Needs

We are happy to help you with ANYTHING! Goal setting, relationships, conflicts, family issues, bullying, friendships, anxiety, habits, routines, ANYTHING! Meetings are confidential unless you would like for us to share information with people such as teachers or parents. The only time that we are required by law to break confidentiality are concerns of student safety.

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