National School Counseling Week begins Monday as a way to recognize and celebrate school counselors all across America. 

“I think the idea about celebrating National School Counselor’s Week is really about not just recognizing the things we can do to support students, but also being able to recognize our colleagues,” A-E counselor Andrea Douglas said. “Much like Teacher Appreciation Week, we all try to do our best at our jobs and we appreciate being recognized for that.”

Counselors are more than somebody that can help change student schedules, as they can be a helpful resource for students’ schoolwork, bullying, and personal struggles. 

“Ms. Pfiffner has helped me think through things rationally when it comes to my schedule and she checks up on me regularly and seems genuinely interested in how I’m doing,” junior Olivia O’Brien said. “I think it’s important because the counselors don’t get as much recognition as teachers or assistant principals do because they don’t really teach a specific class and going in to see them really is optional.” 

The week includes a daily photo challenge, where students can print a poster with a sentence starter, take a picture with the sign, and post it to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag, #NSCW2020, as a way to commemorate counselors on campus. 

“It’s important to recognize the staff because they’re the thing keeping this school together,” O’Brien said. “We can learn not just school curriculum, but also lessons about life from them that will impact us in the future.”