This year, District 219 has transferred over to using SchooLinks from the previous use of Maia Learning. Both of these platforms are college and career readiness platforms that are focused on student engagement, planning and the well-being of students’ futures. Over the past two years, Maia Learning has been a source for students to set up their four-year plans and more regarding their futures.

SchooLinks and Maia Learning are very similar due to them having the same purpose. There are more features to this new platform because it shifted to be more career-centered. College and Career Resource Counselor, Daniel Gin talks about the career aspect that SchooLinks offers to students.

“When first opening the platform, it asks the student a series of questions which will lead up to what celebrity you are most like. By also answering these questions it tells you what career or field you best fit into. This gives the student more opportunities to explore those different career options that they may not even know existed,” Gin said.

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, juniors had extended homeroom to try out the new platform. Counselors guided them through the process, trying to make it as smooth as possible. Due to the platform being new, some things still need to be tweaked. Junior Zoe Chuipek, expresses her feelings towards the new platform.

“I don’t think SchooLinks is a bad resource for us to have but I do think it can be overwhelming. I think it’s easier and more helpful for the student to be able to sit down with their counselor, one-on-one and talk about future cases they plan to take. Overall, I like being able to ask questions and talk about everything before making any decisions,” Chuipek said.

This platform is not only new to the students but also to the counselors. For the counselors, it was hard for them to transfer over to a whole new program after fully understanding the use of another. Counselor Katie Romack talks about how this switch is for the betterment of counselors.

“This platform is a lot more straightforward, it’s a one-stop-shop. As a counselor, it’s more convenient to go to one platform, rather than five,” Romack said.

Throughout this school week, counselors will be meeting with juniors during their history classes to further explain the use of SchooLinks and the advantages that it can bring. With the switch to SchooLinks, school administration hopes to bring a smoother transition to the future of students.