FHC waves goodbye to Mrs. Miller

FHC waves goodbye to Mrs. Miller

Counselor Teresa Miller is flooded with emotions as she looks around her office one last time. The countless pictures of past students are packed neatly into boxes; the desk, once merrily cluttered with papers, is now barren. The air is bittersweet, but Miller is excited for her new adventure at Forest Hills Northern High School.

“It’s an opportunity to see another side of the district,” Miller said. “I’m excited to see how it operates.”

Miller, who has worked at FHC for seven years, will be dearly missed. However, consolation is provided by the fact that she is still working within the district.

During her time here, Miller has touched the lives of many.

“She’s not just my colleague but my friend,” counseling office secretary Mary Beth Stout said. “She was my son’s counselor as well, [and I know] he will miss her, too.”

To Miller, transferring schools is not a foreign experience. She has moved around in the past, and she loves getting new tastes of different schools.

“It’s not that [after many years] I get sick of a school or anything,” Miller said, “[but] I just love to try new things, see new places, and meet new people.”

For Arsulowicz, it’s like coming home to Central. By moving to Northern, I’m expanding my Forest Hills family.

— Miller

The change in school staff is due to district shifting.

“Many high schools are being affected, and everyone has been impacted,” counselor Rick Bolhuis said. “There’s a lot of movement [within Forest Hills].”

The counseling staff at FHN has already welcomed Miller with open arms.

“I’ve met some of them,” Miller said. “They’re all extremely nice, and I’m already making new friends.”

While FHC waves goodbye to Miller, the school welcomes a new face: counselor Jodi Arsulowicz.

“I told [Miller] that the only thing that would make me happy [about her move] is if Jodi Arsulowicz came,” Stout said. “And she did. So everything will be alright.”

Arsulowicz was part of FHC staff ten years ago and moved to Forest Hills Eastern when it was first built. Now, she is transferring back from Hawk country to Ranger country. She has filled in as substitutes for counselors at FHC in the past few years, too.

“It was very generous of [Arsulowicz],” Stout said. “It was a huge help.”

According to Bolhuis, the district is cutting three counseling jobs, which is why some positions will shift from fulltime to part-time; Arsulowicz will be working Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the counseling office.

Both Miller and Arsulowicz are veterans at the process of adapting to a new environment.

“[Changing schools] keeps me fresh,” Miller said. “I get the chance to learn a whole new system and [acquire] a whole new skill set.”

Although FHC is sad to see Miller leave, everyone is excited for Arsulowicz to join the team.

“It’s like her return as a Ranger,” Bolhuis said.

“For [Arsulowicz], it’s like coming home to Central,” Miller said. “And, by moving to Northern, I’m expanding my Forest Hills family.”