A fresh school year also means some fresh faces, specifically in the counseling center. Heidi Cashatt and Lori Hambleton stepped into their new positions at the high school and their journey here is just beginning.

Mrs. Cashatt is the counselor for students with last names beginning in A-Go. She has been in education for 24 years, 15 of those years being a counselor.

“After years of counseling at PGMS, I decided to hop over to the high school,” Mrs. Cashatt said. “I was looking forward to the type of counseling I would be dealing with because it differs from middle school. Turning my focus more towards a student’s post-secondary plan,”

Mrs. Hambleton is the counselor for students with last names beginning in Pe-Z. She has been in education for 26 years, five and a half of those years being a counselor.

“Prior to me taking this job there were four years I wasn’t working in education,” Mrs. Hambleton said. “The last counseling position I had was at an elementary school, needless to say, when the opportunity arose I decided to jump back into the world of counseling,”

Although both counselors have multiple years of experience in education, that doesn’t make the transition to a high school campus any less of a challenge.

“It’s definitely been a learning curve for me,” Mrs. Cashatt said. “Adjusting to the new environment is going to take time, but having a lot to learn doesn’t take away from the fact I’m here for the students,”

The beginning of the year is undoubtedly one of the busiest times for our counselors: schedule changes, course advice, personal guidance, and so much more.

“At times it feels like rush hour,” Mrs. Hambleton said. “It gets crazy quickly, but we are enjoying the challenge and helping students,”

At their previous schools Mrs. Cashatt and Mrs. Hambleton took on that challenge solo. Now, at the high school, they no longer have to be the only counselors on campus.

“Having the support from other counselors has been wonderful,” Mrs. Cashatt said. “Getting to directly collaborate with everyone in the counseling center has been a nice change of pace,”
The relatively new counseling center has granted the counselors easy access to one another, as well as the students.

“Everyone on the team has each other’s backs,” Mrs. Hambleton said. “Theres always someone available to help and it gives us the opportunity to wholeheartedly attend to a student’s needs,”
Even though it’s easy to get wrapped up into the start of school, it’s important to remember that the counselors are more than just advisors. Mrs. Cashatt and Mrs. Hambleton have been added to a team of counselors whose first priority is always the students.