Peer Counseling is a class that focuses on mental health, and learning to understand and deal with feelings. At the end of the 2022-2023 school year, peer counseling teacher Ms. Jennifer Sun and the wellness program were informed that their classes were getting cut going into the following school year. The year before there were four peer counseling classes in total, two classes for new incoming members and two were for returning members. The cut now leaves only one class for new members, which means fewer classes for the next year.

Going into this school year, new students joining peer counseling were declined the class due to limited space. This negatively affected the program by having fewer students for the future school year, and to those students who wanted to join. These students were affected negatively as this was an elective they chose and were interested in and felt like they needed as the class centers on mental health, dealing with emotions, and being able to help others.

“Peer counseling is a class everyone should take. It helps with everything like mental health, feelings, and really just changed my life and school overall for me,” said senior Nadine Sanchez.

Starting this new year, only having one peer class to train new peer students has heavily affected the program. There are other periods for peer counseling where students who were within the program for more than one year have the training and skills to run the Wellness Center, which is open to the students of West Covina High School. The Wellness Center is strictly run by students, and with the classes being cut this year it means there will be fewer students running it going into the next year.

With peer counseling being a class that students can take for all four years, the cut has affected Sun’s planning. 

“I don’t think people realize that when I recruit, I’m recruiting for at least two years minimum,” said Sun. 

These changes mean there are fewer peer counselors and fewer people to run the Wellness Center. 

According to Principal Charles Park, there is a master schedule made before the new year and it all depends on the enrollment of students. 

“Last year we were at 1,850 students, this year we are at 1,800. Based on those numbers, we as a school all around do not have the amount of students we need for all of these classes,” said Park.

With the lower number of students enrolled in West Covina High School, this is why the amount of classes like peer counseling are being cut.

With certain classes like peer counseling and various electives offered to students in high school, it’s classes like peer counseling that students look forward to where they can be themselves and grow in a class with others and make new friends or even people who become family. Mental health is an issue across the nation and has continued to be, so as it grows into a bigger issue this is where the demand and need for classes like peer counseling grows.