Counseling Services Increased For Upperman Students

Upperman High School is offering extra counseling services for students struggling with the death of senior Cameron Kelly.

Kelly passed away Tuesday in an automobile accident. Principal Justin Campbell said they are bringing in counselors from throughout the district assist grieving students. Campbell said their main focus is to help students find the tools they need to process such a tragedy.

“And this is something that they’re going to be, they’ll take with them,” Campbell said. “They’ll remember this and they’ll remember how it was handled and they’ll remember how they handled it. And so just preparing them for the future is the lens that we use to make sure that our students get what they need.”

Campbell said he expects the halls of Upperman High to be solemn as they all recover from the shock that comes with an unexpected loss. Campbell said students should make sure they have someone they can talk to about their grief even if they do not go to a counselor.

“We always have counseling services regardless,” Campbell said. “So any time throughout the school year we always have our counselors on hand and if we see an influx of need then we always reach out and Central Office and Student Services for Putnam County are always great to always support us and send whatever we need.”

Campbell said it can be even harder for these students to deal with the loss because they are part of such a tight-knit community.

“A lot of the students know each other inside school, outside school, on weekends, football games,” Campbell said. “Life for a student is very school-centric and that’s where they’re at and so a lot experiences and I guess core memories are built around the schooling years.”

Campbell said their goal is always to support students in every way possible even beyond academics.

“We want to make sure that they understand that we’re here to help,” Campbell said. “We’re here, we’re more than just a school, we’re more than just a teacher, we’re more than just an administration staff. We’re here because we care about the kids and we want them to be able to go through the right processes so that they can be productive and that they can be productive in life.”