Whitcanack has spent the past six years serving the school, previously working as a guidance counselor for eight years at Redwood Middle School, also in Saratoga. She described her experience as both a pleasure and a privilege, helping students grow in exponential ways, from middle school through high school to the world beyond. Whitcanack said she can often identify more potential in students than they can see in themselves.

"I feel so blessed to have been here," Whitcanack said. "And I feel so fortunate that I got to spend 14 years working in Saratoga schools with such fine families and students."

Whitcanack, whose training is in marriage and family counseling, developed her career at Hoover Middle School of San Jose, where she helped high-risk students stay in school. But Saratoga schools are different, Whitcanack said.

"[The students] are so bombarded by pop culture," she said. "It's so important that they have anchors at school who have a clarity about their values."

At Saratoga High School, Whitcanack has dealt with crisis intervention and aided students in recognizing their capabilities as musicians, scholars, athletes and community leaders. Whitcanack is convinced she's part of training the future leaders who will impact this country.

In her retirement, Whitcanack plans to spend time with her husband and family. She has a 30-year-old daughter and a 26-year-old son, both graduates of Saratoga High School. At age 59, Whitcanack said she'll also spend her new-found free time dabbling in art classes, poetry, painting and volunteer work.

Since Whitcanack first started volunteering her counseling skills in parenting classes, she has truly come full circle. She also taught English and reading, starting at Independence High School in San Jose and then moving to Hoover. But it's the students of Saratoga who stand out during Whitcanack's long profession in education and counseling.

"I love the students [at Saratoga High School] who are interested in learning and for the most part want to be the best they can be, and the parents who are supportive of learning and the school," she said.

Whitcanack's position has been reduced to part time this year because of budget restraints. But she has still given 100 percent of her time in dealing with the challenges high school students face, such as changes in relationships with friends, drugs, alcohol, academic integrity and stress. In a protected school environment, Whitcanack said she's helped students and their parents get through many mistakes.

While there will be no guidance counselor replacing Whitcanack, Saratoga High School Assistant Principal Gail Wasserman will transition into taking over those students Whitcanack oversaw. Whitcanack said she'll miss her colleagues in the guidance office, and especially the graduating seniors, many of whom she has known since they were sixth-graders at Redwood.

"It's like leaving your own home when you leave a position like this," Whitcanack said.

But Whitcanack won't say her final good-byes until at least this spring, when she'll return to see "her seniors" to find out to which colleges they are headed. She's even given students her home phone number and email address in case they still need to communicate with her.

Wasserman described her longtime colleague, friend and role model as level-headed, sensitive and compassionate. While these words may sound ordinary, in Whitcanack, Wasserman said, they make her exceptional. She said Whitcanack has demonstrated a kind yet professional commitment to the school and staff, staying for hours beyond her scheduled time to work with her students and their parents during difficult situations.