A shift in the assignment of school counselors from an alphabetical based system to a grade level based system may be in the future for Wenatchee High School students, according to Principal Bob Celebrezze. If this decision goes through, each grade level will be assigned a counselor and an administrator who will stick with them through all four years of high school to create a more “personal” experience.

When asked why he thinks this change will benefit students, Celebrezze explained that this was the system in the last high school he was principal of, and it seemed to work well there.

I liked the connectivity [of the system]. I liked that there was an ease of knowledge as to who each student’s counselor is,” he said. “Right now, it’s not a direct partnership. I’ve talked to a lot of kids who don’t even know who their counselor is and have never had an appointment with them.”

There is about a 50/50 chance that the switch will go through, according to Celebrezze. After talking to counselors, he has been thinking twice.

“[The counselors] have a lot of valid concerns. One of those concerns is that the senior counselors would do most of the work,” he said. “They felt like they weren’t being heard, and that’s never a good thing. ”

Celebrezze said that the student response he’d gotten on the matter was mixed.

Freshman Anna Cisneros said the system would be beneficial if students will be able to keep the same counselor and build a lasting relationship with them.

“People might not be comfortable talking to a new counselor when they’re already close with [their current counselor.],” Cisneros said. “My counselor already knows what I want to do, so I’d like to have the same one. That way I don’t have to repeat every new problem to every new counselor.”