After 15 years of experience, counselor Elizabeth Robinson has been promoted to head of the counseling department, titled resource counselor.
Counselors do a lot for the school and students. They are in charge of every student’s schedule and help them succeed throughout the school year. “We are here to be warm and welcoming and all staff here want our students to do well and doing well means socially thriving as well so getting involved in extracurriculars and clubs. We care a lot and we were also high school students so we do understand the struggles of high school and are here to help,” Robinson said.
The resource counselor is a critical role in the school. “This position is important because there needs to be someone who is in charge or a leader in the sense of structuring how things are. If you have a department meeting, the head of the department will be running the meeting. Having a head of anything is important so there is a go-to person and it is organized,” Robinson said.
One hard aspect of the job is that it can be hard to make decisions, especially when everyone is relying on that person. “Making decisions is definitely one of the hardest challenges for my department. Having to tell my friends who are also my colleagues what to do is hard,” Robinson said.
Robinson has found that her new job has changed her role in the building. “My role has probably changed now that I am involved more in the administrative end and collaboration side. While also supporting the students, that is probably the biggest change,” Robinson said.
Since Robinson has been here for 15 years, she is already familiar with the staff, students and school and her transition was easier since it was a familiar environment. “I am excited about my new position. At first, I was a little nervous and I have already grown with the staff so the comfortability is already there. However, if I had to move schools, it would be a whole new process. Since we are only a few days in this position, it is a new difference,” Robinson said.
The other counselors said they find Robinson capable and competent. “Mrs. Robinson is really kind and I find her to be a very generous person. Very likable, very funny and easy to get along with. I find her to be very intelligent and very knowledgeable. She is a very good person to work with,” counselor Genevieve Loving said.
Robinson has helped many students throughout her years as a counselor. She continues to help students while also balancing her new position. “She made me more comfortable with my classes and adjusted my schedule to make sure I was happy with it. I was having drama last year and needed to talk to someone. Mrs. Robinson was there to talk to me and help me solve the issue,” sophomore Nicole Dirk said.
