Josh Reikowski (STM ’16) - School Psychologist at McLane Elementary School

6/13/2023

Josh Reikowski (STM ’16) spent the summer after his sophomore year at UW-Madison working with kids. While he was always interested in psychology during his undergraduate career, that summer, he started thinking about going into education.

Josh Reikowski (STM ’16)

“I knew that I could rely on people around me, and we could come together to solve the problems that we had. STM taught me to rely on the people around me if I ever need help.”

“I truly enjoyed working with kids and had a great time that summer, so I decided that I wanted to do it as a career,” Reikowski said. “After that summer, I made education more of a focus, along with psychology. Looking back, I believe that I made the right choice for myself in the two paths that I was considering. Making a difference in the lives of young individuals motivates me, so hopefully, any impact I have on them can help them to find success.”

After getting his bachelor’s degree in Education and Psychology at UW-Madison, Reikowski earned his Education Specialist degree from UW-Whitewater. He currently works as a school psychologist at McLane Elementary School in West Bend, where he supports many different school areas, including academics, behavioral, social and emotional, attendance, cognitive skills, mental health, and special education.

Effective communication and problem-solving skills are essential for success as a school psychologist. “You have to be able to hear the concerns of all individuals who are involved and team up with people to come up with a solution,” he said. “School psychologists are constantly asked for assistance or input to try to find success for a situation or a student. Being able to provide a possible solution or to work out the problem helps the team find success.”

Like many school psychologists, Reikowski has built relationships and collaborated with students, parents, and faculty in every area of the school. “A typical day for me right now is doing a soft check-in with students to get their day started off on a positive note. I then complete tasks for special education evaluations, such as doing academic achievement tests, cognitive functioning tests, talking with teachers and parents, and observations in classrooms,” Reikowski describes. “If I am not doing those things, I will normally go into classrooms to see what the students are working on and talk with them about it. I always have to be available, though, as I am a person that gets called to help out with behavioral problems going on in the school.”

In addition to his daily tasks, Reikowski runs workshops to help kids grow on a social and personal level. “Throughout the week, I run various groups for students to develop skills for friendships, school readiness, coping skills, and any other skills students may need,” he explained. “Many times, our students do not have access to these types of opportunities outside of school, so we provide an environment that helps to develop the necessary skills to be successful.”

At STM, Reikowski saw lessons that would help him with his future career as a school psychologist in the classrooms and on the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams he played on. He was a major contributor on the Cavalier soccer team throughout his time in high school. He was a member of the team that went to the state final in 2014 and earned Defensive Player of the Year for the Metro Classic Conference and Honorable Mention recognition on the All-State team during his senior season in 2015.

“STM prepared me for life after high school by helping to build my problem-solving skills and my collaboration with others. Throughout high school, we were presented with various problems academically, socially, and culturally. I knew that I could rely on people around me, and we could come together to solve the problems that we had,” he said, “STM taught me to rely on the people around me if I ever need help. I use this skill all the time, and I try to help students use it as well.”

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