High school counselors play a pivotal role in students’ educational and personal development. There are dedicated professionals who help students navigate their way through high school and begin their path in the real world. They help in many aspects of the school, making schedules, helping with conflicts, giving advice, reaching out to parents, and helping students have a great high school experience.
Lakeland High School counselors take their jobs very seriously. They are always available to talk to students, parents, or teachers whenever needed.
The principals rely on the counselors to help set the students up with teachers and classes to help them succeed in high school. They also set the students up with a path to help them transition to a career after high school.
Lakeland counselors joined their jobs because they love their students and are always willing to listen to them.
“I have always loved getting to know and understand people and helping them,” One of Lakeland’s Counselors, Kim Suko, said. “School counseling was the perfect fit for me as I love the high school age group and the blend of academic advising and personal counseling.”
Your counselor should stay the same through all four years of high school unless they retire, but it will allow your counselor to learn who you are and set you up on the path that is right for you.
“My favorite part of being a school counselor is the opportunity to get to know and work with students for four years and become a part of their journey as they grow and change,” Suko said.
Counselors have around 200 or more students each. That is not a lot of time for them to get to know each student as well as they would like to.
“Some of the biggest challenges involve time constraints where I don’t have as much time to give to each student as I would like and the inability to fix some of the difficult life circumstances my students face,” Suko said. “I can’t always fix all of these challenges, but I do my best to spread my time as evenly and efficiently as possible and acknowledge that sometimes just being a kind, listening ear is enough.”
The school has four counselors: three leading counselors and Mrs. Paquette is the college counselor. She helps students get to know all sorts of options throughout the years and helps them with everything college-related. Your everyday counselor can also help, but Carrie Paquette specializes in assisting students to choose college and future career paths. She talks to all students, from freshmen to seniors. All the counselors have decided to do this job and are passionate about helping students.
“I had an older brother who struggled in school, so I have always had a passion to help students do their best in school,” Lakeland Counselor Lorian Ryan said. “I just love teenagers. Being a school counselor we always have stuff going on. We are multitasking a lot, and I always have to find ways to be more efficient.”
No matter what happens in the counselors’ office, they always make time for the students and the parents. Showing that they are in this job to help high school students, and they always show that there is someone who cares.
“Our counselors are overworked a lot; they are in charge of like three hundred kids,” a Parent at Lakeland High School, Tami Hern, said. “She helped customize my daughter’s schedule this last year and gave her classes that work for her personally and not just trying to get her the credits she needs. She is really in tune with her students; she just wants to see them succeed.”
They genuinely have a passion for what they do and are appreciated by many staff and students.
“Our counselors are valuable to so many parts of how our school runs and operates,” Assistant Principal Shannon LaFountaine said. “They build schedules, balance class sizes, theory helps navigate with students that have things going on in life that would affect the classroom, implementing 504s, supporting teachers and families when there are things going on, They are often a huge bridge between students, teachers, and families.”
They have a lot on their plate, but they are always there to listen when you need to talk to someone, and they will never turn you away.
“There are so many things without them that would not happen, making sure kids graduate and get all the right credits,” LaFountaine said. “They are super good about getting back to kids and checking emails; even when it is over the summertime, and they are not contracted to be here, they still check their email because they are dedicated to being here.”
The students need the counselor’s help to get them on track for graduating and getting all the credits required to pass high school and move on to college. Counselors take the time to get to know students and put them in classes that fit them.
“They contribute to a big part to our school by helping many students out whether it be scheduling, helping students out that have a hard time at home, and so much more,” Payton Sardinia said. “My counselor is always there to help, and I am always able to talk to her. She makes my schedule personal to me.”
They choose their job because they love students and want to help. Counselors at Lakeland High School care the most and have the biggest hearts.
“I love my counselor; she always talks to me about my problems,” Laynee Winklekotter said. “Freshman year is hard I do not know how I would have done it without Mrs. Suko. I thought I was doing a foreign language next year, and I really did not want to, so she helped me figure that out. She helps a lot with my schedule and makes it how I want, and she helps me fix my grades.”
They also help solve problems that students are facing and never judge them for what is happening in their lives.
“She is the one person I can call if my daughter is having a hard day,” Hern said. “She makes you feel like the most important person at that moment. Not only does she get back to me quickly she will also follow through. She works with my daughter and makes changes she does not just try to get them through like a number; she really cares.”
Good counselors can make parents feel more comfortable about their child being at that school. They know there is always someone they or their shield can go and talk to at any time. The counselors are always going above and beyond. They do not quit at four o’clock when the day is over. They go home and continue to work and find ways to help students.
“They did not get into the job for money, they have huge hearts,” Hern said. “They care about people and quality of life, and that is why they are such good counselors. She has helped me by always letting me know she cares and has made changes that will suit my daughter better without even being asked. She cares enough to listen and help decide changes. She cares, and I trust her judgment.”
Lakeland High School counselors go above and beyond. They were picked because they care and have their hearts in their job. They always make students feel comfortable coming to talk to them, and they always have an open door or will make time for you and call or email you whenever you need to speak to them.
“I think they are available most of the time for students,” Cora Burnham said. “I think sometimes they have stuff going on with other students that they need to prioritize.”
The counselors have a lot of students to get to and need more time to get to everyone in a day, but they will always reach out and make sure that your problems get fixed. The counselors have the most challenging job, with only four of them trying to get to everyone. There always must be more counselors in the school, but Lakeland High School counselors have the biggest hearts and passion for their careers.
“They are definitely needed because they help us in our futures and they give us guidance,” Burnham said. “I think sometimes students do not blend well with their counselor, and they need to be able to switch to someone better suited for them.”
With only three everyday counselors for students, there are only so many options for switching counselors. Not every student and counselor will blend well, but counselors will always look for ways to help students through the disconnect and build better relationships through their four years together. The counselors are the most prominent building block of the school, and there needs to be more.
The counselors will make some of the biggest impacts on the students throughout their high school years. They help students achieve one of the most significant accomplishments of their lives, and high school would only be as organized with them.
