Amanda Patel, a counselor for Dominion since 2012, notified the school of her decision to leave on November 8^th. The Director of School Counseling, Jaclyn Smith, said that Patel made this difficult decision due to her recently expanded family.

“[Patel] and her husband were debating childcare options and they just felt it was best for their family for her to stay at home, and given that they didn’t have a childcare option that they were OK with, they as parents felt it was necessary for her to leave as soon as possible so that she could be with her family,” Smith said.

Serving her last day on Friday, November 11, Patel’s quick departure leaves students wondering what will happen to them. Smith and the rest of the counseling department are hoping to have a replacement by Winter Break at the latest, but in the meantime, Smith and the other counselors will be picking up the slack.

Even with the help of the other counselors, Smith will be taking the bulk of the load. “In terms of the majority of the caseload, I’m going to be taking it on. So in terms of parent-teacher conferences, IEPs, parent phone calls, all that, I will be taking that on as much as I can, but understanding that I’m also the director, the counselors are also going to be filling in wherever and whenever they can.”

For seniors, the timing of Patel’s departure seems particularly inopportune, with many needing advice and help with their college applications. Smith assures students that they have nothing to worry about. She herself will be taking care of student’s college transcripts.

Where the situation becomes sticky is where counselor recommendation letters are concerned. Patel has taken care of all the recommendation letters for students that turned in requests before her parting, but Smith will be writing letters for kids who have yet to turn in their requests.

For students worrying about having colleges receive an impersonal and generic letter, Smith outlines her plan to ensure that doesn’t happen. “I am going to be meeting with the kid to interview them…to try and get to know them and write their letters personally. I know it’s not the same because I don’t have the years of experience knowing them, but I will do my best to give them the best possible letter and do them justice.”

Even with these one-on-one interviews, Smith will be relying heavily on the student and parent insight sheets to make sure what needs to be highlighted about a child is highlighted in the letter.

Amidst the chaos, the counseling department and the school in general will greatly miss Mrs. Patel, a valued member of Dominion High School. Smith said, “She was definitely a huge contributor to our school and our department…she’s certainly a part of our school and a part of our community and we’re sad to see her go, but at the same time we’re happy that she can pursue being a mom.”