After former full-time guidance counselor Toni Jones told the school she could not return to the position this year , the school eventually hired a current district employee, Mary Carol Bernal, for the role, though it is at a 60% capacity. She is the counselor for students whose last names begin with the letters A-F.
Although this is the first time Bernal has been hired at Saratoga High for a permanent position, this is not her first experience working with SHS. Since 2015, she has been working part time at Middle College (at 40% of a full time job), focused mainly on serving students taking an alternative path in the district. At the same time, she worked in the Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE) program, introducing these career opportunities to students and supporting them to ensure they have all the credits they need to go to college.
When past guidance counselor Alinna Satake went on maternity leave in 2013, Bernal also substituted for her for a semester, an experience which she found highly rewarding.
“I thought the kids were so fun and so engaged, and the parents were really nice,” Bernal said.
Bernal has a number of degrees and certifications relevant to her new position: She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Psychology minor from Loyola Marymount University, a Masters of Arts in Education with Counseling emphasis from San Jose State University and a Certificate in College Advising from UC Berkeley Extension. Before getting her master’s degree, she worked as a paralegal for 10 years.
“I was deciding between different opportunities, and I preferred this one. I like working with young people, talking about future goals and the opportunities to try things,” Bernal said. “I love the perspective of kids in high school, because everything is forward thinking, and they’re usually very optimistic.”
Previously, Bernal also worked at Branham High for 1.5 years — first as a school counselor covering for one of their counselors during maternity leave and then for one year as their school counselor for at-risk students. Since 2015, she has been a part-time guidance counselor at Middle College, a program offering West Valley College courses for high school students who are interested in dual enrollment and not doing their classes on a traditional high school campus.
According to Bernal, her previous job experiences did not offer her the same degree of interaction with students that she enjoyed.
“I’d been in other high schools where there’s not as much support or time [for the students], because there’s just huge vast numbers of kids constantly being shuffled in and out,” Bernal said. “You don’t get a chance to get to know them. It was very different here, and I really love that.”
Because she is working part time at Middle College, Bernal negotiated with principal Greg Louie regarding which days of the week she would be at SHS and which days she would be working on the West Valley College campus. Because she is a 60% part time guidance counselor at SHS, Bernal is required to come to school three days a week. After discussions back and forth, the two agreed for her to come on campus on Fridays and Blue days.
So far, this plan has had few exceptions since her first day on Aug. 19, but Bernal envisions her attendance to be very consistent as of Sept. 13. Throughout her transition into the role, Bernal has received significant support from the other guidance counselors in smoothing out the process.
“We’ve got three wonderful long term counselors, and every time I’ve asked them questions, they are more than willing to help and support me,” Bernal said. “It’s great, and I’m not afraid to ask for help because I know that’s the only way to best serve my students.”
Bernal emphasized the importance of serving the student body and looks forward to working with the students and teachers in the future.
“Every teacher I’ve met here is so invested in our kids,” she said. “One of the reasons I love to be here is because everyone’s always upbeat and happy and looking forward to [school], and I think a lot of the teachers have that same disposition.”
