ink L
I
N
G
Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS Oct. 30, 2014 Vol. 79 Issue 2
MAIN ATTRACTIONS Crown Point’s square offers variety of food, shopping options
S Read more about the square on pages 8-9
Targeting student needs As state ranks near bottom in student-to-counselor ratio, guidance department serves students in variety of ways BY VERDA MIRZA editor-at-large
R
ecent studies have indicated that Indiana is one of the six states with the lowest number of school counselors with an average of a 650 to 1 student to teacher ratio. Crown Point High School is an exception. With an average of 450 students per counselor, CPHS has been able to maintain its student’s needs with comfort. “We are comfortable with our student to counselor ratio. We have two freshmen counselors who have a 350 to 1 ratio and we have got four other counselors that service grades 10, 11 and 12,” assistant principal Robert McDermott said. However, some students are not comfortable with the amount of counselors available to a student body of over 2000 kids. Statistics might say that having 450 to one is better than 650 to one, but some see 450 as still too high of a number. “I definitely don’t think we have a comfortable number of counselors,” senior Anthony Huls said. “Somebody I know had an issue getting transcripts sent in because the counselors were just so swamped with college applications.” Another problem that can arise in the counselor to student interaction is the lack of connection due to the counselors having too many students to only fully focus on one. “I feel like we should have more counselors because, honestly, I don’t think we have enough time for a personal relationship with them to be able to talk to them about emotional and school issues like going to college,” junior Katlyn Wos said. “With the large amount, the counselors have to see everybody and you don’t get a close enough relationship with to actually get to know them and them to get to know you.” This large student to counselor ratio is not to blame, however. Counselor Ami Marcinek believes while counselors may
seem too inaccessible, Marcinek believes it is a student’s job to seek their guidance. “The hard thing is we are not out anywhere for the students to get to know us and to feel comfortable. At this point they really have to reach out to us because we just don’t have the opportunity to talk to them in class,” Marcinek said. “A lot of it is that ‘I don’t know her, and she doesn’t know me. Why would she care?’ It is the exact opposite because we do care about the students and want to help, but they would have to reach out to us first.” Crown Point has ensured that a counselor’s responsibilities are focused primarily on a student’s academic and emotional needs. McDermott expresses that the school tries not to put specifics on a counselor’s job description other than that they are here to serve the needs of the students. At times, this responsibility can become too consuming to balance out with only six counselors, two of them specifically for freshmen. “I can honestly say we try our very best to meet the needs of all of our students. Do I think we could do it more efficiently or more easily with a smaller caseload? Sure, but it is what it is and all of us in the guidance office choose not to dwell on the fact that we have extremely high caseloads,” Marcinek said. “Instead, we work diligently each day to do everything we can to meet the needs of our students. From schedule adjustments, to social-emotional issues, to college prep and career planning, we make time to address it all.” Senior Nick Isaacs feels the counselors have met such goal by addressing his academic and social needs to his satisfaction. “I think the counselors have done a great job in always getting back to me about my academic and social problems,” Isaacs said. See Counselors on page 2
488:1
is the United States student-to-counselor ratio average according to U.S. Department of Education
90% of Indiana school guidance counselors do not have the information to assure students succeed after graduation according to guidance for Indiana high schools
graphic by Collin Raiser
450:1
is the Crown Point High School student-to-counselor ratio according to the guidance department
Feature
News Escaping Syria Student’s family relocates after recent events in Syria page 3
A&E Trick or treat Guide to horror movies to watch or to skip
Healthy hints Tips to avoid illnesses during flu season page 7
page 14