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Katie Arnoult

The new counseling office is located in room 245 next to the student services office. Remember to walk in through the "entrance" door on the rightmost side, not the "exit" door on the left side.

LOS ALAMITOS, CA– The counseling office has been a vital source of information and assistance for Los Alamitos High School for numerous years. Now that the new building is open for students and staff, administration offices have recently moved into the state-of-the-art establishment on campus, including the counseling office. However, not everyone knows where the new office spaces are located or who some of the new faces are in the room.

Ms. Grace Carrillo, the new school psychologist, shares that she did an internship at Los Al during college and fell in love with the school.

“I love the spirit”, she elaborates, saying how the environment at this school is like one big community.

Carrillo describes that “[she] just want[s] [students] to come as they are” when entering the new counseling office and that she wants students to leave the space feeling better than they were before, emphasizing that there is no pressure in any way. Additionally, Carrillo advises that it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with any of the staff members beforehand; she shares that Mrs. Ford-Patterson, who works at the front desk in the lobby, will be there to assist with anything regarding scheduling a meeting.

Mr. Kevin Garcia, the new counselor for students with the last names of Lef-Nt, describes that his favorite part about his job is being able to help students pursue their passions in high school and prepare for college in the near future.

He expresses, “The counseling team is awesome and I’ve loved meeting a lot of great teachers so far. The students I’ve had the pleasure of helping so far are really nice and are doing amazing things.”

He shares that he has been a counselor for 15 years and says that LAHS is full of great students and kind people. Garcia describes that he wants students to feel supported and heard in the counseling office. He emphasizes that communication is key when meeting with any of the staff members and that it is good to schedule an appointment rather than have a walk-in meeting. However, he states that walk-ins are not discouraged, but they can be more inconvenient and complicated for both the staff and the student.

Mrs. Gail Davenport, the current head counselor at Los Al, shares that she did not have counseling at her high school, so she wanted to provide that to others in her career. She discloses that, even though the counseling office is now officially open to students, many staff members are still moving into their new workspaces. According to Davenport, contrary to the previous counseling office, the new space also houses the Mental Heath staff and the Psychology team.

“The new Counseling Office provides us with a larger space and more collaborative room”, she declares. “The Counselors and Psychologists are all in one area where we can work together to better support our students!”

A new era for the counseling and mental health staff has begun. Though in a brand-new location, the counseling office of LAHS still has the same goal- to assist students in all their needs, whether it be academics or activities, and to ensure that they feel seen and heard in their school.