Mr. Seaton, a kind person and considerate counselor, is retiring after 39 years in education, fourteen of which have been at Kimmons. He previously worked as a counselor for 19 years at Darby. Before that, he taught Business Law, Clerical Records, and Special Education for two years and then served as a vocational counselor for four years at Northside High School.

Mr. Seaton has helped teens so much — has been there when they asked for help, when they cried, had break ups, or felt as if they wanted to die.

“Mr. Seaton has a kind, caring heart and truly cares about our students,” Mrs. Ray, counselor, said. “He is willing to do any and everything possible to help kids and teachers.”

In addition to listening to students vent out their problems, Mr. Seaton has also assisted them with their schedules.

“Mr. Seaton has helped me by planning my 9th and 10th grade schedules and helping me sign up for Student Council at Northside,” Kassandra Clegg, 9th, said.

Instructional Facilitator Ms. Ehnle values Mr. Seaton’s skills.

“Mr. Seaton can answer any question about the master schedule that you could ever think to ask, which is a great asset when planning the schedule from year to year,” Ms. Ehnle said. “Also, any testing question or problem I have encountered, he was there to offer advice.

The desire to become an educator hit Mr. Seaton at an early age.

“My parents instilled in me that I need to find a job that I would love and be happy to wake up to every day,” Mr. Seaton said. “I have always wanted to find a job that I could make a difference and being a counselor has been very rewarding.”

Being a counselor has had its challenges.

“Working with different cultures, media, and Facebook are some challenges that are ever changing,” Mr. Seaton said. “Young people are going through more difficult times that are causing mental health issues to surface.”

Assistant Principal Jones appreciates Mr. Seaton’s efforts as a counselor as well as his sense of humor.

“Mr. Seaton brings a calming presence and decades of experience,” Assistant Principal Jones said. “He has seen it all and is able to guide students to the right path. I will miss hearing Mr. Seaton’s jokes and listening to his perspectives on education and life in general.”

Making people in the front office laugh is a talent of Mr. Seaton.

“I will miss Mr. Seaton’s humor and his knowledge of the counseling position,” Principal Watkins said. “He brings a lot to Kimmons and the positive climate we have all worked hard for.”

Mr. Seaton will be missed dearly.

“Mr. Seaton can always bring humor and laughter to a stressful situation,” Mrs. Ray said. “I will miss his willingness to help. If I was overwhelmed with paperwork and difficult situations, I could always rely on him to jump in and help me.”

Aside from his colleagues missing him, Mr. Seaton has some things he will miss about Kimmons.

“I will miss the long-lasting relationships with adults and students,” Mr. Seaton said. “I can be in the Central Mall and hear my name called, and the student will say how I have meant something to them. That is special!”

As for his plans after retiring, Mr. Seaton has fishing in mind.

“I would like to find that crappie that I have been trying to catch that has eluded me over the past 60 years,” Mr. Seaton said.