Recently, FHC has been undergoing a series of changes in both the new furniture and upcoming renovations, as well as in the numerous staff adjustments since last year. These new staff additions include Jonathan Haga, our new principal, and multiple new teachers and staff members throughout the school.
One of these new staff members is guidance counselor Suzanne Jacoby, the freshmen counselor for this upcoming year. Contrary to previous years, Jacoby is the counselor for the entirety of the class of 2028, the freshmen class, and she will continue to be the freshmen counselor for incoming classes.
“My first goal is to build relationships with the class. From there, I will be equipping students with tools to be successful as they navigate this first year of high school,” Jacoby said. “So instead of splitting by last name and having students of all ages on my caseload, I am responsible for all ninth graders. The major benefit that I see in this system is that I can dedicate my time to ninth graders alone instead of having to split my time with the other grades. It allows me to immerse myself in the class and their specific needs. I think everyone notices that major transitions happen between eighth and ninth grade so to have a counselor solely dedicated to help with those transitions is a positive.”
This new system is meant to forge a stronger bond between counselors and students and provide better resources for the new freshmen class as they anticipate the new changes that come with high school. Jacoby has been working as a counselor for 12 years, spending the majority of that time at Union High School in the Grand Rapids Public Schools district.
Forest Hills is special for Jacoby, as her three children are all part of the district, and she’s excited to form even more bonds with the school and the community.
“I wanted to be able to be a part of my community in a unique way, and what better way than to work here,” Jacoby said. “I grew up in Forest Hills and now live here too. As well, my own kids attend FHN.”
FHC is known for its strong sense of community and the overwhelming support and acceptance that those in the school feel. As Jacoby enters her first year as a counselor here, she can already see the strong bonds between staff and students and the compassion that the staff holds for the well-being and success of the students. She hopes to quickly immerse herself in the school culture and spirit as she strives to help students throughout their struggles and successes.
“I have enjoyed my first few weeks as a Ranger,” Jacoby said. “I was a bit nervous about the change that I would be making but have felt very welcomed by everyone. I am looking forward to getting to know the students more as time goes on.”
The FHC community is immersive and welcoming, and Jacoby will quickly find her place as she helps in many aspects, both with students and with technical issues. With this new counselor system, there are a lot of questions and confusion, but also a lot of hope as students look forward to having their opinions heard and their views seen easier by a counselor explicitly catering to their grade and class-specific issues and needs.
“I am excited to bring a new perspective to the Ranger community, especially with the ninth-grade students,” Jacoby said. “I am hoping that [by] having that little bit of extra support, students will be able to successfully navigate all the changes that are happening.”
Jacoby has many hopes for this year, especially regarding her new position, responsibilities, and connections that come with it. She’s always had a passion for that connection with students and the ability to help people, but she was never entirely sure of what exactly she wanted to do with that passion until later in life.
“I knew I wanted to work in a high school, but I did not want to be a teacher,” Jacoby said. “After looking into other options I realized being a counselor is what I wanted.”
This year promises numerous changes, and the willingness to adapt is quintessential. As Jacoby moves forward this year and is given a new perspective on FHC, she has many goals she wants to accomplish, the first and foremost being connections with the class of 2028 and striving to understand the student perspective and offer valuable advice and guidance.
The future is bright for Jacoby, with new opportunities that are apparent and her skill set being aptly used to further enhance the FHC community and staff and student connection.
“I have so many [hopes]; hopes for my own kids, my family, [and] myself,” Jacoby said. “What I hope for, when it comes to my job, is that I am able to build meaningful relationships with the Ranger community [this coming year].”
