Clarke Central High School counseling secretary Helina Jorge poses at her desk on March 25 at Clarke Central High School. Jorge, who worked at an (Early Childhood Educational Center) for 11 years prior to arriving at CCHS, values the helpfulness of the counseling team in adjusting to her new position. “If it hadn’t been for the support that I’ve received from the counselors, from the interns, from (CCHS office secretary LaToya) Hill and (attendance secretary LaToya) Jewell, if it wasn’t for their support, I don’t think I would have made it,” Jorge said. “It’s an intimidating, fast-moving position, and if you’re not well-versed in at least something, you’re not gonna make it.” Photo by Valeria Garcia-Pozo
Clarke Central High School counseling secretary Helina Jorge, who has held the position since January of the 2018-19 school year, shares how she feels about her transition to Clarke Central High School.
Senior Copy Editor Valeria Garcia-Pozo: Tell me about your transition to Clarke Central High School.
Counseling secretary Helina Jorge: I started in January. (Former counseling secretary LaToya Jewell) moved to the attendance secretary (position), and she has been amazing in helping me. That transition’s been a lot smoother than I expected. I come from working with Early Learning, Early Head Start, so I was working with babies hands-on, and to working in an office position with high school is extremely different, so I knew nothing. I’ve learned something literally every day. If it wasn’t for Mrs. Jewell, I’d be a lot more lost than I am. I feel like I’ve learned a whole lot, and even to prepare my children for college and their high school career, but the people around have been really generous in answering all of my million questions.
VGP: Where did you work before you came to CCHS?
HJ: I worked at the office of Early Learning next door to the school district with Early Head Start. I was a home educator, so I was out in the field — a job that is very similar to social work, but actually not a social work position. I worked in the homes with families whose children were in the Early Head Start program.
VGP: How did you hear about CCHS and end up working here?
HJ: Well, I had worked with Early Head Start for six years, and I’d worked with the Office of Early Learning for my entire 11 years with the school district, and I was just ready for a change. When you have that kind of job, it takes a toll on you, because everyone else’s problems become your problems. I, you have any kind of heart, there’s no way you can walk away from someone’s house when they’re about to get their power turned off, and they’re struggling with, what are they gonna do for all these bills they have, and then their child is sick and they don’t have insurance. There’s no way you can walk away from that, and just be like, ‘OK, so let’s get to the next family!’ It takes a toll on your heartstrings. I was looking for another position and because that position was with a federally-funded grant. They can always not get (the grant) renewed, and so you’re stuck without a job. So everyone who has those positions are kinda looking. And my son (junior Pacy Lewis) goes here, and I happened to hear that there was a position and I lucked (out). This is a great school.
VGP: What’s been the biggest difference that you’ve had to get used to here at CCHS?
HJ: When you work in the school building for eleven years, you know everybody — first name, last name, who they’re married to, who their kids are, who their mom is — you know everybody. I was fourth in line with seniority of how long I’d been there, so it was really hard to go from being the one with the most experience to knowing nothing. And I say ‘knowing nothing,’ but knowing nothing is pertaining to applications for college, and how these rules work and what do you do if a student gets sent to the office because they have to get a hole in their pants and they gotta change, or transcripts. Transcripts was something that — I knew what they were, knew what service they provided, why you need them. But, I think within my first hour, three people came in and were like, ‘Can I get my transcript sent to wherever?’ And I was just like, ‘You can…but I’ve gotta find out!’ It’s been a real challenge going from being one of the oldest employees, most knowledgeable, to the newbie. It’s been a while since I’ve been the newbie. But it’s a good challenge. You hear about the toxic stress, you hear about the good stress. This is good stress.
VGP: You mentioned Jewell was helpful in your transition. What are the things you find yourself going to Ms. Jewell the most for?
HJ: It’s usually those unexpected questions. Like today, a student came in. They got sent to the office because whatever they were wearing was inappropriate. And, I know that there’s a clothes closet. But I have no idea, number one, where it is, ’cause this is a huge school. No idea where it is, and then, ‘Who do I connect you to, to get you in there? Is there a certain time?’ So today, I called Ms. Jewell, and I was like, ‘I think they would need to go to the school clothes closet, but how do I do that? Who do I call?’ It’s just knowing who is in charge of what, and also connecting faces with names.
VGP: What’s been the most rewarding part of being the counseling secretary so far?
HJ: I’ve never sent anyone away saying, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t know. Just deal with it.’ I’ve found the answer, I’ve told them a way I can get back with them. So the most rewarding thing for me so far has been that there’s less of that. When students come in, there’s not many that don’t know that there’s a new person there now. Most students know, but every now and then you’ll get someone, but when the students come in now, you can see the looks across the faces — it’s not quite the panic, and they’re very willing to be really patient, to give me a minute to find out.
VGP: Do you hope to continue at CCHS?
HJ: I do! I really enjoy the school. The position is what it is — it’s a secretarial position. It’s not like you know, you’re gonna become the president or something. It’s an easy position once you know everything. If I don’t stay there, I would love to still stay in the school. The staff here are amazing. My first week of school, the first week that I started, I was so nervous, ’cause I knew nobody. Nobody except for my son and his adviser — those were the only people I knew in the entire school. So that first week, I was really, really nervous. Every single person that walked through that big office stopped to say hello, say good morning — at least waved if they were busy or I was busy. Every single person. And that’s extremely significant when you work for the school district, ’cause that’s not always true. I’ve worked in several different schools. It’s not always true, unfortunately. So I do plan to stay around. One of these days, I’m gonna be the Ms. Jewell and there’s gonna be some new person that I get to help. I’m looking forward to that, too.
VGP: Is there anything you’d like to add?
HJ: I can say if it hadn’t been for the support that I’ve received from the counselors, from the interns, from Ms. Hill and Ms. Jewell, if it wasn’t for their support, I don’t think I would have made it. I also feel like if I was straight in off the street and hadn’t had the history of working for the school district, I would have been a little more intimidated. It’s an intimidating, fast-moving position, and if you’re not well-versed in at least something, you’re not gonna make it. They’re not getting rid of me. I’m not going anywhere.
