Seniors attend a morning Coffee with the counselors session
Coffee with the Counselors was started this school year as a way to provide seniors with more opportunities to connect with their counselors and get assistance with planning life after high school.
“Coffee with the Counselors is not really a new concept. I had heard of it at other schools. We just wanted another way to connect with our seniors, because we do the senior meetings at the beginning of the year, but that doesn’t always get all the kids in here,” HHS counselor Nicole Adams said. “So we just wanted to kind of open up a time where seniors could come and get help with scholarships or college applications or anything for post-secondary plans.”
The HHS counselors created Coffee with the Counselors to encourage students to get more involved in their future planning before they graduate from HHS. The goal was to offer students a relaxed environment to seek advice and support without the pressure of formal meetings.
“We always are trying to brainstorm other ways to get students more involved in their planning. In past years, sometimes kids would wait until this time of year [April] to be in panic mode. So we’re trying to get seniors to start thinking about it earlier,” Adams said. “So it was just, I like coffee, so I just thought it’d be a great idea. So there we have it, and we’re actually going to start doing it with juniors [and seniors] in August.”
This initiative has had a positive impact on many students by reducing their stress and providing more opportunities to receive guidance as they come closer to graduation.
“I think it impacts [seniors] positively. I think it’s positive because seniors are able to not have to stress as much and have better guidance towards going into college and not as alone in the process,” senior John Hawes said.
However, not everyone has taken full advantage of it. Despite this, it has still helped many seniors.
“I would say some kids used it to their advantage. Some thought it was a good source to use, but I think the senior class used it super well and it was super effective towards them because we all got insight. It was pretty beneficial towards the senior class and how we were able to handle it,” Hawes said.
Despite the successes, the counselors are still working to improve attendance and engagement with the program.
“I mean, I would like to see more students attend things like that. We’re always looking for suggestions,” Adams said. “It doesn’t have to be just for seniors, like we would like freshmen to participate too and be active in their planning for their futures.”
Recognizing that not every student takes advantage of this opportunity, the counselors continue to work on making the program more inclusive and accessible to all students.
“We really want to get students involved more, instead of waiting until the day before something’s due to panic and come down here. I just don’t know how to make that happen,” Adams said. “We’re always looking for ideas to improve and to try to get more students there. But if anyone has any ideas, we’ll take the ideas.”
One of the key aspects that makes Coffee with the Counselors valuable is how it helps students connect with people who have had a multitude of experiences in helping students prepare for their future.
“I think it provides resources towards someone who’s already been in college because they have to go through different processes. Counselors might have a better opinion on certain colleges or better connections. It gets you super connected to the counselors at the colleges and your advisors that you might have in certain areas,” Hawes said.
In addition to connections, the counselors offer scholarship information all in one place and do whatever they can to encourage students to apply for scholarships.
“The counselors encouraged scholarships and helped with them. I think they heavily implied that scholarships will help you out in the long run, because you don’t have as many loans, which leads to less debt,” Hawes said. “They also gave super good resources, especially Mr. Bitfield, who had an entire Excel sheet. If you needed help with it, any of the counselors could basically walk you through it.”
These sessions provide seniors with practical information that helps them navigate their college journey and life beyond high school. The relaxed, open environment also encourages them to ask questions they may not have otherwise.
“As a student, I think it’s super informative. It gives you a better insight into how college works, the scholarships you can apply for, and the different areas that you’re able to go into,” Hawes said. “And I think it helps the high schoolers because you’re able to not only go to your counselor but see other opinions from other counselors, which sometimes you’re not able to do because those counselors are busy. But I think it’s really beneficial to the high schoolers.”
This program has even helped seniors save money by providing free coffee and hot chocolate, along with valuable scholarship help and financial aid advice.
“[I used Coffee with the Counselors to] access my accounts towards college, so my Blue account, because I’m going to the University of Kearney, Nebraska. It gave me access to that, and we got that all figured out, as well as how much FAFSA I got and all of the scholarships that I already have set aside,” Hawes said.
The program has made a positive impact so far and there are hopes for continued growth.
“I hope it gradually has more of an impact. It was our first time offering a different opportunity for students to stop in,” HHS counselor Lisa Boucher said. “I think it would be a question we need to ask the students if they think it’s been a positive addition. But, of course, we’re always looking for ways to improve and attract more students.”
One of the added benefits of the informal nature of the program is the positive interactions among students and teachers, even if they don’t have immediate questions.
“Some students don’t come up and ask questions; they just come up and have a cup of coffee, which is fine. They’re in the building, interacting positively with their classmates, and that’s fun. It’s great to see the kids come up, and I know not all the students would come that necessarily needed the help, but the ones that did come, I feel like it was helpful for them,” Adams said.
Scooters sponsored the program and made it even more enjoyable for students.
“I just reached out to them because I know a lady who manages the Scooters here in town, and they were so nice. They donated everything. So that worked out really well. I think the students enjoyed getting some free coffee, and the teachers enjoyed it too,” Adams said.
Finally, while the program has shown great promise, the team is looking to build on its success and continue offering helpful resources to students.
“In the end, we hope that this program continues to be a positive addition. We see it as a chance to reach out to students in a more relaxed environment. While not every student may come with questions, it’s been wonderful to see students interact positively with their classmates and even take a break from class for a bit. Moving forward, we hope to build on this success and further refine the program,” Adams said.
As the counselors reflect on the impact of Coffee with the Counselors They remain optimistic about its future.
“I hope it gradually has more of an impact. You know, it was our first time that we tried to do it to offer a different opportunity for students to stop in, maybe catch some students that typically wouldn’t come down to the counselors to get help,” Adams said. “So, you know, I think that would be a question we need to ask the students, you know, if they think it’s been a positive, positive addition.”
Need transition here
“It was a brainstorming idea. We wrote and got an Education Quest, college access grant. So that was where we thought we were going to use, you know, an idea to have some money to buy the coffee and the snacks. And then it turns out, Scooters donates most of them for us. So it’s been nice. We haven’t used a lot of that money,” Boucher said.
Despite the challenges, Adams expressed how rewarding it has been to see students engage with the program in positive ways.
“Oh, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s great to see the kids come up, you know. Again, some students don’t come up and ask questions, they just come up and have a cup of coffee, which is fine, you know, they’re in the building. They’re interacting positively with their classmates, so that’s fun,” Boucher said . “There’ve been a lot of good things like students that have stopped in that maybe wouldn’t come into my office to ask for help.”
The counselors offer a mix of general advice and very specific guidance, ensuring that no matter the concern, students receive the help they need.
“We help students with general information, usually once in a while. It’s very specific to, you know, how do I get logged into my college account? How do I accept my financial aid? How do I sign up for housing? You know, there’s been specific questions as well as just general conversation,” Boucher said.
Looking ahead, Boucher emphasized the importance of the informal setting and its potential for long-term impact.
“I hope kids look at it as a positive effort for us to reach out to you as students in a different environment. And we all love, well, except for Mr. Bitfield, the rest of us like coffee, so we get to go have a cup of coffee too, and a lot of teachers will come by and see what’s going on. So yeah, I think it’s been positive,” Adams said. An idea that, hopefully, will continue to be something we can build on.”
Finally, Boucher made it clear that even if students come simply for the coffee, the interactions still provide value.
“If they want to come just for the coffee and pretend they want to talk to us, that’s okay too. At least it gets, you know, a positive interaction, an opportunity to get a snack, and again, maybe even get out of class for a little bit,” Boucher said. “And I know those aren’t good reasons, but again, if it’s still a positive interaction, just to come up and in a relaxed environment.”
