To the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board Members:
I know it looks like a solution to cut the counselor position at Olympic High School. However, such action will have extremely detrimental impact on the demographic that needs it the most.
What I have absolutely found to be a truth from my thirty-nine years at Olympic is: before one can learn, one must be emotionally literate.
Olympic silently heals and prepares the at-risk youth for that next step. It is a sad commentary that the district has been increasingly myopic to the value of the Olympic community and the positive outcome of its students.
The Olympic counselor needs to be on campus to offer advice and advocate for the students. The counselor helps support the many students who are going through one of the most difficult and critical stages in their life.
Marcia Gecht
Olympic High School Teacher