As students return back to school, they are faced with challenges that are not limited to school schedules and mental health. Many counselors are flooded with issues and rescheduling classes, but many students question if they are truly ready to support all of their needs.

Tackling scheduling at the beginning of the school year is no easy task.

“We try to meet with every one of our freshmen,” freshman counselor Karen Miller said.

Counselors do their best to meet with every student and ensure that their year is starting successfully. For senior Holly Holterhaus, her mission is to graduate.

“If I didn’t get [my schedule] fixed, I wouldn’t be graduating right now,” Holterhaus said.

School schedules usually feel like a mess and often result in unwanted classes and stress. Originally, counselors were able to meet one-on-one with each of their students at the end of winter break to schedule classes for the following year. However, it took too much time, and their current online system through PowerSchool has been successful in efficiently creating schedules.

Although many counselors, including Miller, miss meeting with their students, it is challenging to find the time to schedule the next school year and counsel students socially, emotionally, and mentally. Students’ schedules are a troubling task, so it is hard to ask the counselors to take off their summer to plan everything or to have them prioritize schedules over mental help. With our current system, students must relate their own struggles with their counselors.

Counselors also have a huge effect on student’s mental health. The statement “You Matter” becomes especially impactful in regards to mental and emotional counseling. 

“The [students would] rather suffer in silence,” Holterhaus said.

Many students feel uncomfortable reaching out to counselors and getting the help they need. This relates to anything that the student body struggles with, including grades, friends, or simply with their own mental state.

“[We] encourage them to use the different supports that we have available here at the high school such as Raider Aid [and] working with [their] teachers,” Miller said. 

The counselors in the freshman pod have been diligently supporting their students with weekly newsletters. They entail detailed information about how students can access aid and reach out to their counselors. It may be beneficial for the counselors to better bond with their students with some kind of event that could be scheduled at the beginning of the school year, a “meet your counselor” situation. 

Students have an amazing support system at Huntley High School, and they need to utilize it. Counselors are there to help and have been properly trained, not only with scheduling, but mental and emotional counseling as well. Suffering alone is too common. There is support. Students must make the effort and utilize it.