College planning, grade interventions, and emotional turmoil: all in a day’s work for our school’s counselors.

Counselors are there to listen to students’ concerns and difficulties with their academic and emotional troubles. While the students can get relief from talking with them, the counselors have a lot on their plate and need to handle several tasks at once; this includes college planning, psychological aid, and helping students to improve and develop their communication and coping skills.

“Many days evolve based on what we face or what may walk in the door. Multitasking is my middle name,” Kelly Redican, who is the Senior class counselor, involved in Campus Life, Admin Council, and is in charge of presentations and planning for College Preparation, comments on her busy schedule. “I keep a lot going in my head every day, I try to get to emails out within 24 hours, and I’m a firm believer in using my Google Calendar,” Redican finishes.

Mrs. Redican is not alone in her multitasking. Kyra Hester, who has recently returned to the Juan Diego community also needs to keep track of her busy schedule, “Being able to multitask is a much needed skill in education, whether you are a counselor, teacher, or administrator there are always many things going on that need your attention. Although I can plan meetings and how I want to structure my day, there are always unknown factors that I have to be ready for. I am a list maker,” she comments, “I keep myself organized by marking things on my calendar, putting a sticky note on my computer monitor, or making a to-do list.” Hester Continues.

Related to busy schedules, counselors can have a lot of stressful situations and tasks put onto them day-to-day, but they don’t give in to stress easily. “I deal with stress in a lot of different ways,” Kamee Jordan, the Freshman class counselor responds, “The most effective way is taking my dog, Daisy, on walks around the neighborhood. I find that the fresh air and exercise allows me to refresh my outlook on the day and leave the stress behind,” Jordan finishes.

Hester deals with stress in a different way, “In general I deal with stress by having quiet time to meditate, read, or mindlessly watching tv. It also helps to talk to the other counselors and faculty members to help brainstorm or get ideas on how to better support students. And chocolate always helps.” 

One of the many good things about counselors is that they offer advice to those who need it. Everyone has their own advice to give people. Redican’s advice to students who are struggling is, “I would say that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. One thing we know about the future is that it comes one day at a time. Do not get caught up in what has happened; we have ways to work through the struggle or pain you may be facing, but life seems a little less overwhelming if you take it a little bit at a time.” 

Jordan, also has advice for students who are struggling. “As cliche as it sounds- you will make it through high school, and it gets so much better! High school is where you learn a lot of life lessons that help shape who you are as an adult. High school is a tiny blip on your lifeline- you get to be an adult for so much longer, and it is well worth all the struggles you go through.”

High school is a time in your life where you start to actually grow and discover who you are as a person, and the people in your life can help you do that.

In the end, school counselors contribute to so many different aspects of student growth and development. They work to create a safe, and welcoming environment so that students can go to them and feel comfortable about opening up and reaching out, because you never know what people are going through. Counselors are vital to the overall atmosphere of the school, and that atmosphere would not be the same without them.