Pritha Dutta
eSomethin Staff
Imagine it’s your first day at Perrysburg High School. As you walk through the door students are swarming around you. The long hauls, metallic yellow lockers, and the colorful floors are all unfamiliar to you. You worry how you will make it through the day.
Now imagine you are the new counselor in charge of 25% of the student body. It is now your responsibility to help and guide them through all the challenges they will face in high school. This year Perrysburg High School has a new member of the counseling department: her name is Latisha Highsmith. She is in charge of students with the last names between (Si-Z). I had the opportunity to interview her and gained amazing insight into our new counselor that students may not know about.
Highsmith is a mother to two girls Lauryn (7) and Tori (4). She is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to the Toledo area once she started attending Bowling Green State University.
Before she became a counselor at Perrysburg High School she used to work for a Health Insurance Company as a community health worker. She would travel to 5 different counties to advocate to people about their physical health. This job also had a program called adaptive school where she would go teach students about preventative care. It was through that program she became interested in working with students and the school system.
So she went back to Bowling Green State University and In August of 2023 she received her master degree and now she works here as a counselor of Perrysburg High School!
“Working at Perrysburg High School is a lot calmer and less driving,” Highsmith said. “I enjoy the support from my staff members and seeing students everyday.”
Now, working for Perrysburg she has found many favorable things that come with her job, she said.
“My favorite part of being a school counselor is definitely speaking with the students and helping them out. I also love communicating with other staff members and the support I get from them”.
Being a counselor for Perrysburg High School is no easy task. There are many responsibilities and tasks that must be done everyday, and managing these things can be even tougher; however Mrs.Highsmith has a way to stay organized, she said.
“I typically plan every Monday and when I plan my week I usually go through emails from students of high risk, any concerns from parents, talk with the other counselors, and engage with other students to see what they need and try my hardest to give that support.”
As a counselor Highsmith wants to help impact students’ lives in a positive way.
“They have value and that they have positive support and that they don’t have to go through highschool alone. I want them to know that I can be there for them and help them flourish even after High School. I want them to also know that I have their best interest at heart,” she said.
And she has done just that. She has become a positive influence in many students’ lives.
Kendra Zucarell. She is a sophomore at PHS and she said, “From my interactions with her she seems really nice and I am grateful to have her as my counselor. I feel like I can rely on her and talk to her about anything I am going through.”
Students (Si-Z) who have Highsmith as their counselor can reach out for any circumstance using her email: [email protected] Extension 5185.
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