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Show New counselor joins high school staff by Nan Chalat This summer the Park City School District had to do some fast footwork to fill an important spot on the high school staff. When high school counselor Steve Leatham decided to take a new job at Wasatch High School he gave the Park City School District plenty of notice to find a suitable replacement. The school board selected Nancy Weaver, a faculty member at the high school and she began training for the position. Early this summer, however, she decided to take another job. Fortunately an experienced and enthusiastic high school counselor in Salina, Utah saw the job announcement announce-ment and immediately applied. Richard White said he was committed to counseling but he wanted to move to a larger area. "It is a real thrill to be in this profession. I like working with kids. It is a real challenge," said White. Along with his enthusiasm he had seven years of counseling experience. exper-ience. Among a choice of 18 applicants the board had found its man. White is originally from New York City. "I came out to Utah because I have an interest in the outdoors and because it offered a sense of adventure," said White, who enrolled enroll-ed in Brigham Young University's graduate school and received a degree in guidance and counseling. He chose counseling because, "I am a people person. I always take an interest jn the human side of things. "The most important part of a counselor's job is to develop a relationship with young people and to establish an atmosphere where trust prevails. The ability to communicate is critical," said White. Part of his role is to help students learn to make mature choices and then to be responsible for their decisions, White added. "So many of the decisions high school students make go hand in hand, such as course selections and what college to attend, that what we are really talking about is setting goals and choosing a lifestyle. Decision-making is at the heart of success in life," White said. In order to help Park City High School students make some of these decisions White plans to help each student develop an "individual educational program." Parents, students and the faculty all will be involved in establishing the programs, pro-grams, said White. "The individual education program pro-gram helps young people see that what they say counts. It is a good way to make them feel responsible and worthwhile," he said. Another of the new counselor's goals is to expand the career and college counseling computer center. He also will emphasize interest- and aptitude-testing and identification of vocational goals. White said he has a special interest in the Sterling Scholarship program. "Park City has lots of outstanding students, and this way they can really show what they are worth. I've already seen there is a real push toward excellence and I am excited because the potential is here. "One of the real joys of taking on this job is that a wonderful foundation has been built by a highly dedicated staff," White added. "My key goal will be to make myself available to the students and to give them as much time as needed whether it is in my office or on the athletic field." |
