For the upcoming year at Oxnard High School, there will be new changes to the counseling system. Next year, counselors will be assigned to students according to grade levels, rather than split up by what academy a student is involved in or by a student’s last name.

With counselors in charge of assigned grade levels, it enables them to address specific needs and interventions for each grade level, according to OHS counselor Mr. Cordova.

Some students at OHS think that the counselor change may not be helpful to them because of the relationship they have already established with their current counselor. OHS senior Oswi Alferes agreed and said, “It may be tough for juniors and sophomores that have already developed a relationship with their counselors to have to start over with opening up to new counselors; and it might be difficult.”

“The point of having a counselor is to have a bond with [them]; to have an understanding with each other,” said Gavin Hammon. Hammon believes that being able to bond with your counselor is what is helpful to OHS students when they have problems with school or even in their personal lives.

Despite only having known his counselor for one year, OHS freshman Rafael Apodaca said that getting the chance to have one-on-one time with counselors is important. He said, “The counselor wouldn’t be able to know the students because they would have to help out so many kids within a grade level. We would just be another number to the counselor.”

Although some students think that they will become just another number to the counselors they are assigned to, the counselors see things differently. OHS counselor Mr. Cordova said, “We are trying to improve our services to the students as well as the parents; and change will enable us to become experts in specific fields.”

The counselors and Mr. Urias hope that this change will improve the communication between students and counselors next year.