And she couldn't wait to place an x on the cheek of the Australian Idol winner before the start of his New Zealand tour in Dunedin last night.
''Stan and a whole lot of other boys used to live at my place in Mullumbimby in 2008 and 2009. I was like their foster mum and the place was like a railway station,'' she recalled yesterday.
Ms Mitchell (nee Peterson) left Dunedin in 1996 for New South Wales, where she worked as the truancy officer at Mullumbimby High School.
''Stan was one of those kids who was a bit of a ratbag. He was just a typical 16-year-old. He was always getting into trouble because he was so loud,'' she recalled.
''But, he always had a real likeable thing about him. He was always a very genuine kid. He worked as a grocery boy at the local supermarket and was mad about rugby.''
However, Ms Mitchell had to keep her young charge out of the odd spot of bother.
''He got a tattoo of his daughter on the side of his neck and he was going to get his girlfriend on the other side, until I said to him: 'Stan, maybe you should have a think about that first'.''
In 2009, Walker became the seventh winner of Australian Idol and won a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.
''I saw him on telly winning Australian Idol and I thought 'That's Stan'. I couldn't believe it.''
The 22-year-old has since sold more than 170,000 singles and 100,000 albums and won five New Zealand Music Awards, as well as appearing as a judge on the debut series of The X Factor New Zealand.
Ms Mitchell returned home to Dunedin last September and is a Central Ward candidate in next month's Dunedin local body election.
''I just wanted to see Stan again and give him a cuddle and tell him what a good job he's doing.''
Walker performed the first show of his ''World Tour of New Zealand'' at the Regent Theatre last night.
