001My name is Karen Varnum and I am a counselor at Klahowya Secondary School. I work predominantly with high school students, and I have the good fortune of having been employed at Klahowya for all of Klahowya’s existence. My job is really about working with students and meeting them where they're at, and helping them get to that next level, whether it be academic, Interpersonal, social, overcoming an obstacle and helping them be the best they can be. I started my journey at Tracyton Elementary School, and then I went to Fairview, and then was lucky to be on the ASB in junior high and helped create, build Olympic High School. I was in the first class to graduate from Olympic High School that had gone all the way through, and I think that that experience as a teenager influenced
002my decision to become involved in to hire from the beginning. I was transitioning from teaching into school counseling, and my recollection of being part of building a new school was really exciting. And so to experience it as an adult, when that to my career was really, really fun. You know, I wasn't going to be a teacher initially. I was planning to be a lawyer, and I was in undergraduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle, and I was preparing for my LSAT exams, and I was in a class on the philosophy of scientific thought. And I remember really being focused on ethics. And I realized that if I became a lawyer, sure, I would make a lot of money, but I didn't know if I could make the kind of moral sacrifices. And so
003I pivoted and changed my career path. Majored in English, but still was not going to be a teacher. I worked as a tech writer. I worked some other places and worked in computer software. I fell into teaching backwards because I got into coaching youth soccer and loved it. And I was working with little kids and decided I do my student teaching to have something to fall back on. And I loved it. And then I never looked back. I was at a camp overnight camp for natural helpers with some other people who were talking about a program starting in guidance and counseling. And I thought, well, I don't really remember much about my counselors in high school or junior high, but, oh, they work with people. Oh, they help kids with career decisions. Planning for college.
004That would be cool. Yeah. So that's I literally enrolled in a master's program the next day. My mom is a teacher, and I used to do her bulletin boards and volunteer in her classroom. And coincidentally, my mom and I, it was her second master's degree and my accounting degree, my initial master's. We did that together through City University, and it was kind of fun to be in college with my mom. I am retiring at the end of this school year. I'm excited for the next chapter. I have a dog we want to train to be a therapy team. My husband and I want to spend more time traveling. We recently bought a boat that we're going to be, basically a RV on water, and we're going to be exploring more of the San Juans and
005the Canadian Islands. I'm sure I will come back and sub and volunteer as a therapy team with my dog family. My daughter, who teaches kindergarten at Woodlands, has told me I'm going to be her substitute, so I'll get to spend some time with kindergartners. But it's bittersweet because I love this school. I love my colleagues and I'm going to miss it. Did they tell you about that on the tour? That sounds familiar. Okay, so it's out in front of the main registration building for Western, and you're walking on these concrete stones, and each one has a year. And then that year, class that graduated and buried underneath each time capsule all the way back to the beginning of Western. So my father in law, who's 94 and graduated from Western when he became a teacher.
006So when and my husband went to Western. And so when we go, we go find his. You can't see what's in the time capsule, but like this probably, but I know that that's the beauty of a good district, is that we make an effort to continually hire and refresh our employees. So I'm not worried about who comes after me. They're going to be great. I tell my students she's going to be stronger, faster, better looking, smarter. So I know that the families that hire in good hands, but I will miss them. Okay, so you remember where the student Union building is? Where where the dining with the main dining hall is and the bookstore. But. Yeah. So she'll be out in about a month. It's called the Outdoor Activity Center. That was where Western student
007can go. So I am retiring at the end of this school year, and it's coming pretty fast. It's only about nine weeks away. My team made a chain to count down the days, but it doesn't feel real yet. Lots of time for goodbyes. So this will be my last graduation. My last Eagle scholar honoring ceremony. My last chance to sing to the seniors. So it's bittersweet. Yeah. It's great. Anything else you want to add before we wrap it up? No. It's perfect. Gosh, that was amazing. Thank you so much. I think I knew that this region and this area is, is so rich and ripe for opportunity that I feel that that it was only natural. This is where I'd want to work. Started her career at Cottonwood Elementary School in kindergarten, in first grade.
008She became a reading specialist and a learning specialist. And then there she worked at Trace Elementary for several years, and then spent the last 19 years of her career at Brownsville Elementary. Oh, that's such a hard question to answer. Who wouldn't want to work with students? They are our future. Every day is different. This job is never boring. Sometimes it's a little bit too overwhelming. But I love the kids. I love being there for those moments when they are exploring what their futures unfolding before them, when they have the moment of having made a horrible mistake. But they learn from it and it helps cement some fiber of their character. I love helping, especially first generation college students, unlock what's possible if they get that next level of education. I love the traditions and the
009camaraderie of working in their school. I'm fortunate here at CLA. Yeah. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else. Maybe Olympic high school, but, I work with fabulous administrators and teachers and students and parents and parents and custodians every single day. So, I guess I think it's a shame. And maybe the best kept secret that more people don't work with kids. Which makes me sad, because the building doesn't exist anymore. I had Mrs. Domini as my kindergarten teacher and Mrs. Domini. I lived right across the street from Tracy in elementary school. She was a stern taskmaster, but she loved her students. And I remember loving kindergarten from day one. I was in middle school about fifth or sixth grade when our district went through a difficult period with several levee failures, and I can remember my
010younger brother and I being at the bus stop in the dark at five in the morning because we double shifted to Fairview. Fairview was called, I think, Fairview Junior High then, and my older brother went to school at night and my little brother and I went to school early in the morning and, kind of crossed halfway through the day. I think after that I went back to tracing for a year or two years. And those were really important years because, I think I was becoming who I was going to be and exploring myself. And, I remember I was one of only two girls who played football up on the playground in upper elementary school because all the other girls did stupid things like all that volleyball thing, or play that tetherball, which to me wasn't
011very fun. And I remember that, I was always vying to be the fastest kid in the school, and that was important. So I loved P.E., I loved art, I loved writing. I struggled sometimes with math, but I, I figured that out eventually. Know how much I took care of? On Monday, March 23rd and three. And, Do you think you'd rather work with people? I think it depends on like what? Like what specifically? It's like. Are you working part time? You know, I mean, like, I'm kind of just working, like. Which means. In notebooks that help us keep track. I'm just moving this notebook here. When student gets here. Like what? Tell me, what do you think? Is there, like, maybe something like. Telecommunications? Okay, so what is it about telecommunications that seems interesting to you?
012And, you know, it's. It's okay. I don't know about that. How to look up your AP credit. All that's. I mean, you probably attention. All right. I've given you two and have a good long weekend. I did a dual degree in sport management and journalism, so I was I was a sportswriter for a couple of. So. I get her form ready anyway.