The counseling office has some new faces this year, bringing different ideas and perspectives into the school.

“My favorite thing so far is the students,” counselor Carrie Alano said. “They keep me on my toes and are fun to work with.”

Counselor Cheryl Conner said that adjusting to a new and bigger high school counseling job will have some ups and downs, but she is eager to learn.

“A goal this year is just learning the difference between what I did as a junior high counselor versus what I’m going to be doing as a high school counselor,” Conner said. “I don’t know what I don’t know until I know it.”

Conner said she is excited to continue to guide her past students through their final years.

“I am looking forward to working with all the students I worked with in junior high and ones who were in elementary school with me,” Conner said. “Seeing them meet their final goal walking across that stage, going to do bigger and better things.”

This year, lead counselor Jaime Canida wants to reach students earlier in their pathways.

“My goal for this year is to get more kids when they’re younger to start picking jobs and careers that they’re interested in and starting to provide opportunities to them,” Canida said.

For counselor Kacie Davis, returning to AHS has been a huge milestone in her life.

“I left the high school for a year and a half to have my baby, and I just missed working with my students and missed all of my coworkers here at the high school,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to get back.”

While Davis is glad to be back, there are some challenges in her new job.

“Right now I’m in survival mode with learning how to be a mom and a new counselor,” Davis said. “I just want to make sure I get all my students taken care of and everyone graduated and everyone where they’re supposed to be.”

For Alano, joining this staff felt like the right move for her and her family.

“My family is here,” Alano said. “We have lived here for about eight years. I wanted to be closer to home and be a part of the community more.”