Mrs. Hoey is entering her 14th year in education and this is her 5th year in Republic. She previously taught 6th, 7th and 8th-grade social studies at Kirbyville Middle School and for 8 years, she taught 6th-grade math and social studies at Strafford Middle School. She and her husband Will have two children, Riley and Kaden. The Hoey family also has the best dog ever, Duke. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends, working out, and being outside. She's passionate about serving students and she enjoys being able to guide them through the transition from elementary to intermediate school and beyond!
Counseling
The RIS Counseling office strives to support every student's emotional, social and academic well-being. We want to be an extra support for students during their journey through middle school! We encourage students and families to contact us using the emails listed below.
Resources and Links
Meet the Counselors
At Republic Intermediate School, our counselors will "loop" with students—meaning each counselor will stay with the same group of students for both 5th and 6th grade. This structure helps build stronger, more consistent relationships and provides continuity during a key transition period. By minimizing change, we’re better able to support students’ academic, social and emotional growth throughout their time at RIS.
Families will find out which counselor will be working with their students at RIS back to school events.
Mrs. Morgan Hoey, Counselor
Ms. Madison Neves, Counselor
Ms. Neves is excited to return to the Republic School District as she enters her 10th year as a school counselor. She spent six wonderful years at Republic Middle School, where she served as the 6th year counselor for three years, the 7th grade counselor for two years and most recently, as the system support counselor.
During the 2024-2025 school year, Ms. Neves took a break from counseling to spend valuable time at home with her daughter, who is now proudly joining the Republic family as a student.
Ms. Neves has a passion for supporting students and families, and she values building strong, trusting relationships with the school community. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, spending time with her daughter and taking trips to explore new places.
Ms. Gabrielle Birmingham, Counselor
Ms. Birmingham is excited to begin her first year with Republic as a counselor and social worker. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical and Behavioral Neuroscience from Drury University, and a Master of Social Work from Missouri State University. She will work with both 5th and 6th grade students and families, connecting them with resources and support to be successful in all areas.
Ms. Birmingham is passionate about promoting student success, fostering wellness, and encouraging collaborative growth within the school community.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, volleyball, spending time with her family, and playing with her puppy, Boston Rob!
Common Misconceptions about School Counseling
What you may think: "Only children with 'problems' or 'bad kids' should need to see a counselor."
Here’s another way to look at this: School counselors should serve all students. All students are welcome and encouraged to come to the school counselors for a variety of reasons. Realistically, we all have “problems.”
What you may think: "My child should be able to talk and solve problems at home."
Here’s another way to look at this: A counselor should be an unbiased third party. A counselor may be able to give feedback to an individual that their family or friends may not be comfortable to provide. A counselor is also bound by strict confidentiality laws that protect the student.
What you may think: "I don’t want my child to miss any valuable class time."
Here’s another way to look at this: It is true, being a school counselor means that the children must be at school to access the counselor, which also means that the individual and group counseling times are during the school day. We work closely with the teachers to ensure that the child does not miss out on valuable class work. If the child is out of the room during instruction time, they will get caught up to speed upon their return.
What you may think: "My child only goes to see the school counselor to get out of class."
Here’s another way to look at this: The teachers and counselors are pretty savvy about knowing when a student truly needs to visit the school counselor. We keep running records of the children we see and notice patterns very quickly.
What you may think: "There’s no reason for my child to see a counselor. They are fine!"
Here’s another way to look at this: No matter how “fine” individuals appear, everyone has emotions and thoughts weighing on their minds. Having someone listen to thoughts and emotions can work wonders! Here are some common topics we discuss with individuals and small groups: conflict resolution, emotional awareness, life events, problem solving, self-esteem, social skills, and study skills.
What you may think: "The school counselor should call the guardian when their child visits."
Here’s another way to look at this: Every person deserves to have someone they can talk with and know that what they say is respected through privacy. A school counselor’s first priority should be to build a trusting relationship with each student. We strive to provide a safe environment for every child. That would be a lost cause if the students thought we would call a guardian after each visit. If we see the same student for the same reason on multiple occasions, we will call the guardian. If there is an immediate concern, we will call the guardian. Please feel free to call us anytime with concerns you may have
What you may think: "My child does not need to see a mental health professional outside of school since the school has a counselor."
Here’s another way to look at this: While one role of a school counselor is to meet with students individually, there is definitely not enough time or resources to adequately fulfill all of the needs that some students may have. Our general thought regarding individual counseling is that we will visit with a student a few times regarding the same issue before we call their guardian. Once contact with a guardian has been made, it is then up to the guardian to decide whether or not they would like their child to work with School-Based Services through Burrell Behavioral Health or if they will seek outside aide (see RepMO Resources).
What you may think: "The counselor is at the school only to serve individual students and groups."
Here’s another way to look at this: We do visit with individual students and groups, but we also visit classrooms one week per month for 60 minutes each. During our monthly classroom visits we cover district- and state-approved curriculum. Lessons include topics such as: bullying, choice making, study skills, test-taking skills, self-esteem, friendship, and careers.