Counselor Clayton Ballard has returned to University City High School after working at Point Loma High for the past three years. Ballard worked at UC until 2008 as a counselor, before going to Point Loma, and is excited to return to UC High.

Ballard was transferred from UCHS to Point Loma High in 2008 because of budget cuts. “I was actually offered the opportunity to come back last year, but I couldn’t, because I was part of the coolest program ever. So I waited until the program ended,” he explained.

Ballard explained that the program he was involved with at Point Loma High was the Advanced Placement Incentive Program (APIP), which partners high schools with universities, colleges, and businesses to “…ensure that our low-income and under-represented students have access to high quality AP courses and support systems that promote their educational success,” according to the Former Program Director Donald Mitchell (apipsandiego.org). Ballard was the APIP Coordinator at Point Loma High.

Ballard explained, “In this program, students who wouldn’t traditionally take AP classes were put into these classes and given all the sources, support, and opportunities they needed. This resulted in AP participation and passing rates improving at Point Loma as a whole.”

“The best part of the job [counselor] is getting students connected to colleges and careers,” Ballard said. “[That’s] when we find that ‘other’ school for them, one that’s maybe not a UC, but higher than a UC school in the field they’re looking at. For example, UCLA has a well-known dance and theater program, but CSU Fullerton is one of the top schools in the performing arts, even though most students haven’t heard of it.”

Regarding the packed counseling office these days, Ballard has a message to students. “Dear teenagers,” he said, “make up your mind the first time! We build the master schedule according to your choices, so you need to think of the process before submitting your course choices.” Ballard would like to be able to sit down with each of his students and narrow down their choices to come up with a plan for college and careers, but he needs time to talk with them, instead of having his time being spent changing student schedules.

For this year, Ballard would like to “…see more students taking AP classes, and help students get specific paths for college and their careers.” He continued, “I’m also looking forward to using the tips and tricks I gained at Point Loma to increase the percentage of AP pass rates. The program worked because the kids were supported and they had the exact materials they needed. The passing rate of a 3 or higher on AP exams at Point Loma High increased from 37 percent to 51.5 percent from the start to the end of the APIP, according to the CollegeBoard 2011 report. Specific subjects had drastic improvements, such as a 19 percent pass rate in 2008 becoming a 60 percent pass rate in 2011 in United States History.” Ballard has high hopes that UC will be able to mirror the success of the AP score rates of Point Loma.

In terms of his approach to working with students, Ballard said he’ll use just about anything as a teaching moment, and he never forgets what it was like to be a teenager, with all of the the ups and downs.

Senior Melody Makthepharaks said, “[Mr. Ballard] is very nice and a helpful counselor. He doesn’t give up on you, and he’s not dull. He can have a conversation with you but still keep it professional. I feel he has the right guidance to help you stay in place, and not get lost in the shuffle.”

For Ballard, the best part about returning to UCHS was “…seeing familiar faces. It’s like this is my family, and where I first established myself as a decent high school counselor.”