Staff Spotlight

Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz helps level the playing field for struggling students

by Mary Jo David

As a school psychologist, Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz has been helping students address learning and behavioral challenges for almost 25 years—the last eight of those years in Stockbridge.

Fedokovitz works full-time in the Stockbridge School District, with students from preschool through 12th grade.

“When concerns arise around a student’s academic skills or behavior, I consult with teachers, parents, and administrators to help determine how we can address those concerns.”

An ace speller back in high school, it’s not surprising that Fedokovitz is tuned into the ebb and flow of student reading abilities. She believes that progress is being made as reading curricula moved away from a “whole language” approach to a more structured, science-based approach.

Fedokovitz also conducts special education evaluations across the district. Once a student qualifies for a special education designation, she is mandated by law to do a follow-up evaluation every three years with that student.

“Special education can level the playing field and enable certain students to be more successful,” says Fedokovitz. “And while it’s sometimes difficult for students to be singled out for special attention, in general, I think the Stockbridge district does a good job of emphasizing the positives of special education.”

Experience in addressing both academic and behavioral issues makes her an excellent fit for participating on the Student Success Team in the district.

As a trained psychologist, Fedokovitz is schooled in dealing with the unexpected. Not surprising, then, she also participates on the District Crisis Team and SCS’s Threat Assessment Team. Through the Crisis Team, she helps students deal with unpredictable, high-emotion situations, for example, when a fellow student dies. As part of the Threat Assessment Team, she has helped define and train fellow staff members on the process for dealing with a student who makes threats to the safety of other students and staff.

As a youngster, Fedokovitz grew up in Madison Heights and attended Lamphere High School, where she won the annual school spelling bee three times.

“When I was in high school, I was the person everyone came to with their problems,” she said. “Talking to people and trying to help came naturally to me. But when I found out how much schooling I needed to become a psychologist, I thought, ‘no way.’”

She attended Oakland Community College and then the University of Michigan –Dearborn. After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from U-M, she decided she was up to the challenge of an advanced degree (or two!). She went on to earn a master’s degree from Wayne State University, and, in 1996, she earned her PhD in Educational and Clinical Psychology, also from Wayne.

After she worked several years in clinical psychology, she decided to go back to WSU and take additional coursework to be certified in school and community psychology, and she has worked in that field ever since.

In the early years of her career she was married and is the proud mother of three adult children: Rachel (26), Nickolas (25), and Natalya (21). Later, she divorced, and ten years ago married her high school sweetheart, Jerry. The couple has made their home in Fowlerville, and the family is happily awaiting the birth of Fedokovitz’s first grandchild in January.

In an effort to respect the privacy of her current students, when asked to describe a success story or two, she reached back to earlier years. In one of her first jobs, she recalls a 14-year-old boy who arrived at her school after being home-schooled since the third grade.

“The homeschooling education had been quite minimal. Basically, the student couldn’t read,” she explained.

While noting low performance on IQ tests, she found his conversational skills were much stronger. Over four years she, along with the student’s teachers, worked with him closely and tested him regularly. She watched as his cognitive scores went up notably, along with his academic scores.

Fedokovitz recalled, “It was absolutely wonderful the day I got to watch him walk across that graduation stage. He worked really hard and deserved that diploma!”

In another situation, she worked with a student who was doing well up until 5th grade, when her test scores began dropping dramatically.

“In three years she went from average to impaired. After researching and talking with her mother, I determined the student had been exposed to lead in the first three years of her life. Once we knew what we were dealing with, I could help mom figure out what was going on and what programs could help meet her daughter’s needs.”

Nowadays, as she sees students struggle with navigating their emotions or academics, she ties some of their difficulties back to the disruption of COVID.

“Consistency is key, and at that time, students were at home with varying levels of support. Not all families are equipped to deal with their student’s lack of initiative or follow-through. But, in most cases, parents know the student best. If they recognize a student is struggling, it’s important they reach out to get help for their child.”

As for the students she works with, Fedokovitz recommends they pursue what they’re good at and learn organizational skills along the way. She would also like to pass along a mantra that continues to work for her—follow your dreams!

All photos provided by Krisan Fedokovitz.

School psychologist Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz (pronounced “ChrisAnn Fed-DOCK-ah-vitz”) works with Stockbridge students from preschool through 12th grade.

Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz and husband, Jerry, are dressed to perfectly complement their 1920 Nash 687 Sport Touring at a vintage auto show.

Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz looks like “the bee’s knees” posing in front of the couple’s antique car. Theirs is one of only 13 Nash 687 Sport Touring cars made in 1920 with a package that included nickel trim and fancy wheels.

Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz (right) loves spending time near the water with her daughter Natalya (left) and her husband, Jerry (center).

Left to right: Former Heritage/Smith school counselor Audra LaLonde and Heritage social worker Katharine Fox join Fedokovitz in proudly wearing their mental health awareness shirts during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Dr. Krisan Fedokovitz, in her Roaring ‘20s attire, attends a Friends of Greenfield Village event.