The person responsible for all International Baccalaureate students and their emotions, problems and schedules, the job of the I.B. counselor at LHS is undoubtedly a challenging one. But Shakeita Clayton is up for the task.

Clayton was previously a counselor at Golden West Middle School in California. This is Clayton’s first year as an I.B. counselor, and it is only her second job at a high school.  

“High school students seem to really know what they want to do,” Clayton said. “I don’t have to run after them. It seems like they already have their path figured out, and I think that is a testament to the staff here.”

In addition to being new to the high school environment, Clayton has no prior experience with the IB program. Online reviews of the school prompted Clayton to apply to the position. 

“When I applied for the job, it was for a school counselor position, and then when they offered it to me, they offered it as an I.B. counselor,” Clayton said. “I was really excited about that because it afforded me growth.”

Previously living in California, Texas native Clayton said she always knew she wanted to move back. After her husband left the air force and her daughter graduated high school, she decided to make the move.

“I think that [my favorite part is] definitely the support [and] the people,” Clayton said. “Even during the challenging moment of the scheduling, all the IB students were just so encouraging and supportive.”

Clayton said that she knows the I.B. program is already established, but she is excited for the potential for growth. She’s waiting to learn more about the program before she makes any improvements, but she already has some goals.

“In regard to IB, one goal is to make sure that I really know each individual student,” Clayton said. “I think [it’s] important to kind of establish a relationship, a rapport with students and not just know of the students that are on my caseload just by name.”

She said her first few weeks have been challenging, with the conflicts with the new system being difficult to deal with. Clayton personally had to fix the schedules of all IB and pre-IB students. However, she said that the support from faculty was excellent.

“That’s one thing that I always missed about Texas is that people are so genuine, and you just don’t meet a stranger,” Clayton said. “Everyone is just so upbeat and down to earth and welcoming, so that part has been excellent.”