By Chloe Patterson
One of the most common problems of a highschool student is exhaustion. You have homework every night and you think about what you want to do with your life. Mr. Rollerson arrives to school smiling and greeting everyone before he is even in his office. When students are half asleep he is walking down the hallways at a fast pace with a pep in his step and whistling all the way down.
Mr. Rollerson is a freshman counselor at Batavia, he has been working here for ten years, and has brought the same energy level with him everyday. He doesn’t have a specific morning routine; his energy is just who is he. Every student here knows who he is and what he does. He makes the freshman feel welcomed but doesn’t make the seniors feel excluded, say the students at Batavia. Mr. Rollerson plays a very big part in the life of the BHS students.
Being a counselor is a job that not many people can do. There is unpredictability and your main goal is to help people with whatever they are dealing with whether it be grades, family, or friends. Even when they have something to do, your day immediately stops if a student needs help.
“Honestly I would say whenever I crack open an email, who knows what is in the email, that’s when my day starts,” Rollerson said. “Sometimes it might start before or after the normal time. We are connected all the time there is no on and off, but typically 7:15 AM when I come in.”
Rollerson gets his job done each day helping out high school students but finds a way to always be himself and have his energy level be at 110 percent every minute, according to freshman Shelby Woods here at Batavia. Students here at Batavia describe Mr. Rollerson as perky and enthusiastic.
“He made me feel welcomed to this school when the only people I knew were my friends,” said freshman Eliana Zagoran. “He was the first teacher that I felt comfortable with.”
There is no particular way Rollerson gets his energy up so high. He doesn’t take ten “Five Hour Energys” every morning, or drinks a whole pot of coffee before he gets to work. It is just who he is.
“I don’t have a particular way to get my energy up,” Rollerson said. “I guess it is just who I am. When I walk into the building, boom it’s showtime. Since it is so ingrained I don’t have to work up to that; it’s me. It is what it is. I just roll with it, I’m like water I can flow with it.”
He is the one counselor that students know that they can go to if they are having trouble with your social abilities. He has many good relationships with students of all classes, as well as all of the counselors. Rollerson is known for helping students struggling with their social skills.
“He goes out of his way to connect with others and he is not one to shy away from things,” said Corey Bernard, a fellow counselor. “He can become friends with anyone, whether it be a chair or a new freshman. He just has a very open heart.”
All of the counselors use each other as good resources and use each of their strengths to make sure the student gets the best possible outcome. There is never a dull moment in a life as a counselor; their different personalities make everyday interesting in the office.
“Every day brings something new,” said colleague Steven Lesniak. “Mr. Rollerson is a vivacious personality who enjoys the company of others and with whom it is a pleasure to share my day.”
Even to the students that he isn’t in charge of anymore he still keeps a healthy relationship. When a new freshman talks to a upper class man all they have to say is how they will love their new counselor.
“Mr. Rollerson is awesome; he made up for waking up an hour earlier on Thursdays for the morning meetings,” said sophomore Jackson Patterson.
Every student wants to a freshman again, they all have their reasons like less homework or less stress. But another reason that keeps on coming up is Rollerson. Instead of just reading off slides in a meeting, he talks through them listing examples.
“I like working with the kids,” Rollerson said. ”The kids, they keep it fresh. There is never a dull day. Most importantly, I like to see the most challenging situations where they think a situation is impossible. My favorite part is to see how I can assist them and getting them to a better place.”
Mr. Rollerson didn’t plan on being a counselor. Being a counselor chose him. He had a dream to become an actor but was a substitute teacher to help pay the bills. Kids found him as unintimidating and shared their everyday problems to him. One day he realized that he could get paid for it. Everyone here a BHS is so glad he did.