For everything from schedule changes to planning the next 10 years, the counseling office is where people come for help. Along with dealing with these essential tasks, this year counselor Brian Williams wants students to practice resiliency and create their own spaces within Community.
“It’s been in some ways really exciting,” Williams said. “I’ve been putting in a ton of hours here and at home, but in some ways, I feel it’s one of the better starts.”
High school is a pivotal point in a person’s life, and every student has different goals. This is seen at every level, and determining the counseling office’s goals can be a challenge. To Williams, a huge part of counseling is making yourself available and making sure people are comfortable with reaching out for help. Williams wants to make sure that students are having their needs met, and feeling heard.
“One of my goals is to really make sure the best I can that everybody that I’m in contact with feels good, feels heard and feels like I’m a resource for them,” Williams said. “And so that means first and foremost students, but my colleagues are just as important.”
Every year at CHS, new students arrive and classes of seniors graduate. For Williams, an integral part of counseling success is having a pulse on the changing whims of students and adapting his strategies to help them get to their goals.
“We have over 100 kids doing CRs, which I think is great,” Williams said. “I would love to see that number continue to grow. I think we have increased closer to 50 college courses registered by our students this semester, which to me, shows kids thinking outside the box and pushing themselves.”
Even outside of traditional CRs and dual enrollment, many students are taking other alternative classes like homebuilding, culinary arts and health sciences.
However, not all alternative courses fit Williams’ CHS ideal. Along with this increase in unique classes, there is also an increase in the amount of students taking online courses. Williams would much rather see kids taking advantage of Community’s offerings, using the school to its full potential instead of relying on online classes.
Academic changes and course selections aside, Williams has a message for the student body. It is one of resilience and toughness in the face of adversity. For him, going through challenging times and facing defeat shouldn’t mean you give up.
“When you hear the word no, like ‘you don’t get this,’ or ‘we can’t offer you a spot in a college or university,’ or whatever it might be, it’s important to not let it feel like it’s the end,” Williams said. “We’ve done a great job of de-stigmatizing things, like anxiety and depression. But I fear that sometimes we just sit with that now and not know how to get through it.”
For Williams, feeling negative emotions like anxiety should not simply be an accepted condition. Rather, students should try and find solutions that will help them rebound and push through.
“I want our ninth graders to come in and start to create their space here,” Williams said. “To be active and not be too shy or too hesitant to really jump in and try to do some unique things and try to make us a better school.”
By overcoming challenges and being resilient, Williams thinks we can all make Community a better place.
