Last week, Feb. 1-5, we celebrated National School Counselors Week. During this week, students were urged to thank a counselor and acknowledge their efforts around the school. The guidance department works to formulate and correct students’ schedules, serve as mental health aid and assist in college applications and future plans.

Robinson High School’s counseling staff–consisting of Eva Capo, Dameon Clay, Marjan Deboskey, Daniel Driscoll and Kara Sprinkle–uphold this representation in the school. They make themselves available to students throughout the school day, guiding students both mentally and academically.

“My job is helping people where they’re at and just kind of help them achieve whatever goals they are trying to achieve,”Clay, the college and career counselor said. “Whether it’s going to college, whether it’s employment, or whether it is dealing with any emotional or social issues. I’m just here to help people get over the hump and pursue what they want in their academic and professional endeavors.”

The members of Robinson’s guidance department are experienced in their field as they have worked as counselors for awhile. For example, though new to the school this year, Clay has 22 years total of counseling under his belt, of those years 13 were spent working in schools. Sprinkle, the IB counselor, has been a school counselor for eight years.

Counselors at Robinson believe that it is fundamental to build connections with the students they see to better understand their needs. The desire to understand a student’s needs and acknowledge them is vital in the aiding process.

“I think the hardest part is realizing that everyone I see in here is human, and just because I see them on a bad day that doesn’t necessarily  mean that’s who they are. Ultimately, I am here to help them,” Clay said.

Building these connections and learning to understand every individual is a hefty task, especially considering the number of students each counselor is responsible for. Traditional counselors see 200-300 students, while Sprinkle is over the entire IB student body, which is about 500 students. The national standard for school counseling is recommended to be one counselor per 250 students.

“For lack of better words, I wish I had more time with them,” Sprinkle said. “Seeing all 500 of my kids is the best part of my job, spending one-on-one time with them. If I could see them more and get to know each one, I would.”

Aware of the importance of these jobs, National School Counselors’ Week encouraged others to address and show appreciation to guidance staff and their significant role on campus.