The beginning of the school year is never easy. With schedule changes, a large number of incoming freshmen, first time seniors, new teachers and an abundance of homework, we can all get a bit frustrated at times. When you become stressed over these demanding and nerve-racking experiences, you go to school counselors for schedule changes.
Recently, Vandegrift hired four new counselors on staff. After Mrs. Hill retired, Mrs. Wilson took another job and Mrs. Martin gained a new title, we found Mrs. C. Brooks, Mr. Jackelen, Ms. Fieldman and Ms. A. Brooks to take charge and find order in the chaos of high school.
Mrs. Carolyn Brooks helps students with names A through C. She is very passionate about being a counselor; in fact, when she taught art, she was also considered a counselor without the title. “When I was an art teacher, students talked to me all the time, and that’s what triggered me wanting to become a counselor,” Mrs. Brooks said. “I eventually went back to school, got my degree and the rest is history.” Mrs. Brooks also said this is her favorite job. She wants her students to know that she is approachable and will always be there for each and every one of them. Mrs. Brooks loves to travel and will always be an artist at heart, even as a school counselor.
Mr. Eric Jackelen is the counselor for the last names of D through J. Mr. Jackelen loves the outdoors; he’s big on fly fishing, so if you need any advice on that sport, he would love to talk to you about it. Also, if you’re a huge Packer fan, you may want to speak to him about that as well; the Packers are his favorite team. Mr. Jackelen lived in Oregon for seven years before moving to Texas. He worked at Rouse High School before coming to Vandegrift. Mr. Jackelen has been impressed with “how nice and respectful all the students are.”
Ms. Jennifer Fieldman helps names between K through Q. Ms. Fieldman is just as welcoming as all the other counselors and “will welcome all students into [her] office.” Like Mr. Jackelen, Ms. Fieldman is a big fan of the outdoors, as she loves camping and canoeing. She has even taken trapeze lessons. She would like all of her students to know that she will always have an ear to listen, some Jolly Ranchers for you to snack on and a smile.
And Ms. Amy Brooks is also part of the new staff selection on campus for last names starting with R through Z. In February, however, she will be getting married and will be able to change her name to save confusion between herself and Ms. Carolyn Brooks. Ms. Brooks, a lover of running, often ventures out for marathons and is training for one right now. She’s also a dog lover and has two labs at home.
All of the counselors could agree that their first couple of weeks at Vandegrift wasn’t an easy one due to the extraordinary amount of schedule changes, but they do all say that it was a good week. “The students were very positive. They are all a very motivated group that is very polite, and is goal oriented. The entire campus has so much energy and I love it!” said Mrs. Brooks. As a whole, the counselors want all of the students to feel welcome, and to never hesitate to go talk to them. They believe that this year will be a great year and so far it is off to a great start.
