What it means to be a Counselor

Wilton High School is lucky enough to have two counselors, Mr. Patterson and Mrs. Weekly. They both have helped our school and students for years, but we haven’t really gotten to know them. 

Mr. Patterson was originally a classroom teacher, but he “wanted to make more of an impact on students,” so he became a counselor. With education and society changing year after year, teachers have to adapt as well. Mr. Patterson observes and talks with the students one-on-one so he can help them academically as well as emotionally. His goals are to help the students in any way he can while working with the other staff to make this school a better place for everyone. 

Mrs. Weekly taught Spanish before becoming a counselor. This gave her an edge in getting to know more students. She had a few reasons why she wanted to change positions. “I wanted to be a school counselor to help students feel safe and connected at school and have someone to help them reach their goals as a student and beyond.” Mrs. Weekly takes her job very seriously to the point of being over critical of herself and how she handles different situations. Although she makes fixed schedules, she can and will be very flexible to any student in need. She knows that teens these days need coping skills to deal with everything that is being thrown at them. Mrs. Weekly strives to be that person whom students can express their problems and feelings to without worrying of judgment, criticism, or a lack of empathy.

Both counselors have different ways of contributing to the students as a group or one-on-one, but both have been proven to be inviting to the students of Wilton. Now that we know what they do we can show them some appreciation.