AHS Guidance Hopes Students Grow From Freshman/Junior Conferences

To be one person out of a class of 543, students have to figure out what makes them special and whether they are moving into the workforce, college, or military.

AHS North Campus guidance counselor Kathie Mitich said, “It is important for the students to be self sufficient. This structure [of the South and North campus at AHS] allows you to grow and change, but only if you want. The change of building pushes you to change. [And it] allows for more of being and becoming yourself. Teachers also play a role. They adapt to the students and can see that they are grown and how they interact.”

Mitich has been working at Arrowhead Union High school for 23 years. She was also a counselor for Muskego for four years and taught business and marketing for seven years. She says she has seen students grow and mature.

Mitich said, “The biggest change for this year’s seniors is the responsibility role switch. They no longer have their parent. They now have to start doing things on their own such as filling out applications for college [and] asking questions. Parents are understanding and recognizing that their students need to be self sufficient. They are giving their children their own wings.”

She said, “The students spend the majority of their teen years confined in Arrowhead’s walls, the most growth happens here.”

Michelle Stuart graduated last year with the class of 2016. She says she grew during her four years at Arrowhead.

Stuart said, “I learned a lot. Not only about myself, but [also] about the people I was around. Physically I grew about two inches, [but] mentally I grew more. I learned to focus on myself. I learned that I was responsible for my own happiness. It was my job to make sure my life turns out the way I want. Being 18 and starting your own life is scary, but there are so many different opportunities and chances to take. The four years I spent at Arrowhead helped to shape me into the women I am becoming: self sufficient, independent, and confident.”
“The key to it all is education. Yes, it’s books and learning but it’s growth. It is figuring out how to open doors and how to make them open, education is more than just classes,” said Mitich.