A new year, a new hello to upper house guidance counselor, Joan Toro, who replaced Charlotte Barolet after she retired at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Toro will be working with students with last names A-M in upper house, and will be helping students with dual enrollment.

Toro had previous experience as a guidance counselor at Lake Mary Elementary School for seven years and then at Winter Springs High School for eight years, where she was even a guidance director for four years. Last year Toro was also the lead high school counselor for Seminole County.

Though she has seen many different guidance settings, this year is going a little different than Toro expected.

“At my last school, student schedule changes were not allowed after schedule pick-up unless the student already had the class, did not have the pre-requisite for the class, or there was a hole in the schedule,” Toro said.

Toro is not only busy with schedule changes, but also addressing dual enrollment questions. The first week was full of changes in classes when students realized that a class was too easy or too hard.

“It has been so busy in guidance that I imagine I have met almost half my students,” Toro said.

With so many students in and out of the guidance office, many students were sad to hear that Barolet was leaving. However, many students are looking forward to meeting  Toro.

“I hope she will help me enjoy my senior year and get ready for college,” senior Al Griffith said.

With the first few weeks over, the guidance office is slowly going back to normal pace and the chaos is easing.  Toro’s office will then be available more often.

“I am looking forward to getting to know my students and helping them graduate and plan for the post-high school goals,”  Toro said.