On the first day of school, you may have found yourself walking to class on the first floor and noticed that the counseling office has a new look to it. With a modern redesign, the counseling office now features the College & Career Center, which offers a new space for faculty, students, and colleges to discuss and present with others.

“We love the new space,” counseling office clerk Susan McCabe said. “It has been great for college admissions representative meetings. It feels very welcoming to them.”

The College & Career Center is an extension of the original counseling office to the south, which has one large table and a couple of other small tables all facing a TV on the south wall. This extension takes up a previously occupied space of the building that was Ms. Wooley’s original classroom.

Construction for this area began during the summer and was completed shortly before the Orono school year began.

Along the sides of the College & Career Center, you’ll find entrances to counselors’ offices that were originally located along a small hallway in the back of the original counseling office.

If you have walked past the College & Career Center already, you are likely aware of the large glass wall facing the hallway with text printed on it. Inside, you can find students meeting with representatives from various colleges who are visiting Orono.

“The new glass wall makes it feel much more welcoming and made my experience with a college representative much better,” junior Simon Forbes said.

The College & Career Center provides a dedicated space for these meetings without occupying areas such as the media center or mezzanine that may interfere with other student activities occurring there.

“It has really made a difference in the quality of these meetings since we don’t have to use the library,” McCabe said.

When not being used for college visits, you may also see teachers meeting with administration or other teachers when the College & Career Center is not being used for college or career planning.

If you are a senior, now is the time to take advantage of any colleges visiting Orono. According to the Orono Public Schools Facebook page, “the college representatives who visit Orono High School in the fall are often regional admissions officers who may be the first to review student applications.”

It is important to take advantage of these visits – and the new College & Career Center offers a perfect space to do so, without distractions or odd meeting locations throughout the high school.