By: Brittney Clark

Counselor Kim Glathar is one of twenty seven new staff members to Southeast this year, an astounding number considering about half of the teachers currently at Southeast are new within the last five years.

“I’ve been all over but I’ve been in counseling, either middle school or high school, for about 34 years,” said Glathar.

She began teaching English as a second language at Southeast after graduating here. The last 10 years were at East High School, but she’s also worked in Gretna Public Schools and at Lux Middle School.

Emily Hoegh, a new counselor to Southeast last year, took a year long leave of absence, freeing up a counseling position.

“I thought–perfect–I’m ready for a change,” said Glathar.

Hoegh’s return is the determinant for how long Glathar will remain at Southeast. If she does come back, she’ll retire; otherwise she’ll wait a couple more years until the timing’s right, but in the meantime she enjoys counseling.

“This sounds like such a cliché but I was a person all my friends came to when they had a problem,” said Glathar. “A lot of people who go into counseling will say that. Even as a young person, people liked to come to me and problem-solve, so in the back of my head I always figured I’d get into counseling. It just happened a lot faster than I planned.”

She came back to the perfect place to continue, and eventually end, her counseling career.

“[East] is a very good school, don’t get me wrong–but it was never home,” said Glathar. “[Southeast] will be a good place to finish a career. I posted on Facebook and all my old Southeast friends were like, ‘That’s full-circle; you’re back where you started!’”

Although she may feel at home, the faces aren’t familiar.

“There’s not a soul still teaching that was teaching when I was here but as I talk to kids it feels like coming back home because so many of my students went to Prescott, Irving, and came to Southeast, which is what I did,” said Glathar.

Glathar enjoys forming relationships with her students, as she feels that’s always the most fulfilling aspect of the job.

“I like students a lot, [but] I don’t know my students as well as I want to,” said Glathar. “The history you have when you’ve been somewhere a while I don’t have yet, and I do find I’m grieving that.”