WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Teachers aren't the only people who can make a difference to kids at school.
This week, the Houston County School District is highlighting school counselors.
Jacqueline McGhee says she starts her day at school with a smile, and for students around her, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“When they smile, then I smile, get excited, and I feel happy at this school," a student said about counselors.
Grant Blalock is a sixth-grader at Northside Middle School. He said he's had days where he didn’t feel his best.
"When I first started this school, I was nervous," the sixth-grader admitted, but he found comfort in a simple gesture.
"She came to me and said, 'It’s going to be a great year this year,' and she made me feel comfortable," Blalock said.
If you ask McGhee, it’s all a part of a day’s work as a school counselor.
"My role is to make sure I greet the students with a warm welcome, so depending on the day -- today is Tuesday, so today is, 'Good morning, let’s have a Thumbs-up Tuesday,'" she said.
She's been a counselor at Northside Middle for almost 20 years and sees students come in for a lot of things.
"Social media conflicts, social media comments. Students are still trying to figure out themselves and to make new friends and appropriate relationships. Sometimes students have home issues," she explained.
Through National Counseling Week, Houston County is celebrating counselors like McGhee.
She says it’s important to listen.
"Oftentimes, students may not have that person at home, so we would like to provide a warm and welcoming space for students to feel that they have an advocate within the school setting," she said.
The State of Georgia is directing schools to use federal dollars to train counselors social workers and nurses.
They want to identify students with substance use and mental health needs as they navigate classrooms.