Lincoln-Way West social worker ‘just lifts everyone’

Chrissy Hack said it’s her personal mission as the social worker at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox to make sure all students feel “loved, accepted and heard.”

Hack said she sends out the monthly Action for Happiness calendar to students and staff to promote social-emotional health. She sponsors the Bring Change 2 Mind (BC2M) club to raise awareness of, and remove the stigma around, mental health.

During Kindness Week in February, club members distributed candy bars with tags that said, “Thank you for making our school and this world a better place,” Hack said.

Hack schedules guest speakers and presentations for all students, brings in therapy dogs to help students during finals week and creates opportunities for students to make good decisions and lower their stress, said Holly Pierson, director for pupil personal services at Lincoln-Way West.

She called Hack an “essential part” of Lincoln-Way West.

“Chrissy is just amazing,” Pierson said. “She’s one person, but she serves the entire student body of almost 2,000 students by being a support to anyone in crisis.”

Hack insists that she works in collaboration with an “amazing” and indispensable team. But Pierson feels Hack embodies inspiration.

“It’s her warm and energetic personality. She just lifts everyone,” Pierson said. “She’s just that kind of person that everyone wants to be around and enjoys being around. She’s always positive, always has great ideas and is always willing to help.”

Hack said she graduated from Lockport Township High School District 205, earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Illinois State University and then earned a master’s degree in social work and a certificate in school social work from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work.

She completed her internship at Lincoln-Way Central High School from 2003 to 2004 and started working at the school in 2004. Hack moved to Lincoln-West High School in 2016. She said she loves everything about the school environment, from the students to the school spirit.

“It’s pretty unusual 18 years later to still really enjoy a job I started at 22,” Hack said. “But I still have a strong passion for my students and the work that I do.”

Hack’s love for social work began with mission trips and other volunteer work when she was teen. Hack said she helped restore buildings at a Native American reservation as she was entering high school.

Then, for two summers during her high school years, she and other teens in her youth group at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene in Lemont held a vacation Bible school for children in East Harlem, New York.

“I remember finding a passion in giving back and working with kids,” Hack said.

Hack knew that she wanted a people-centered career and a “way to give back.”

She shared those perceptions with someone in the social work field, who told her, “You sound like a social worker.”

“So I took classes and absolutely loved it,” Hack said.

Obviously, Hack has seen changes throughout the years, especially with the rise of social media and then remote learning during the pandemic. Mental health is now prioritized, and District 210 “has done a good job” with identifying the needs of the students and making sure support systems are in place, she said.

At the same time, students also are more self-aware, too, by recognizing their needs and learning how to access resources, Hack said.

“I think kids are understanding the importance of advocating for themselves and for their friends and making sure their friends are connected when they notice a friend in need,” Hack said.