Take Five with Dr. Mark Clayton, School Counselor at King College Prep

Take Five is a series that highlights some of the many members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our schools. If you know someone who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

This National School Counseling Week, we are excited to highlight the work of Dr. Mark Clayton II, a counselor at King College Prep High School.

While he has been a school counselor for a decade, this is Dr. Clayton’s first year at King. He currently serves as the 12th-grade co-lead, helping soon-to-be CPS graduates navigate their postsecondary options while also staying connected with the general student body to ensure they receive the supports they need. 

In addition to his work with students, Dr. Clayton supports other CPS counselors as a co-lead of Network 17’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) for school counselors. One of his main priorities is to share ideas and best practices that are specific to counseling trends and observations within the network. He also enjoys learning from his fellow counselors about their approaches, obstacles, and successes.

Learn more about Dr. Clayton and his work below! 

What inspired you to pursue a career in school counseling? 

I can tell you that it wasn’t my initial path. My initial career trajectory was to work in the entertainment industry and do marketing and PR. During my senior year of college, though, I started working with a nonprofit in New Orleans whose main objective was to provide advanced placement courses in public schools that lacked resources. Through this work, I was drawn back to my own experience in high school and the lack of diverse educators who looked like me. This is what pushed me to get into school counseling and be that change. 

What are some of your goals for your students this semester?

As the 12th-grade co-lead, one of my biggest goals is for the whole graduating class to be accepted into at least one of their selected schools. This means we have to be intentional in making sure students are selecting schools that match their academic profile. For my students in all other grade-levels, our goal is to set personal expectations of what success looks like to them, then work with them throughout the year to make sure they achieve that success. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love the counseling staff that I work with. We're very collaborative, and we feed ideas off of each other. It's more of a friendship than just colleagues, and I’ve had that same dynamic in the other CPS communities where I’ve worked. When you are able to build community, that turns into family, and that's what I really love about my job. 

I also really love helping our students. We don't realize the impact we make on students at the moment, but when they begin to reach out years later, you start to have those moments of reflection. You begin to see the positive outcomes and how you’ve impacted others' lives, and it is very rewarding.

In celebration of National School Counseling Week, what is a message you’d like to share with your counselor community? 

This year’s theme is “School Counselors Amplify Student Success,” so my message to my colleagues is to remember to put students first. As long as you keep that mindset, you should be able to move forward and continue your amazing work. School counselors are the heartbeat of the building, and the work being done is leading to student success. 

What do you like to do outside of school?

When I’m not busy working, you can find me down on Michigan Avenue having a field day, whether it's shopping or just having a quick bite to eat! If I’m not there, I'm probably on a flight somewhere trying to get away from here, especially in the winter. In the summer, I like to go boating and jet skiing!