We are pleased to welcome one of the newest additions to the Claremont Middle School community, Mr. Dawud Akram, who now provides counseling services for students in all grades. Here is an introductory message from Mr. Akram:

Greetings CMS Community!

My name is Dawud Akram, and I am currently the School Counselor for grades 6-8 here at Claremont Middle School.

I have been actively involved in child development for over 19 years. I spent 13 years as a Middle School Math Teacher for grades 6th-8th, most of which has been spent with 8th grade. For the past seven years I have been blessed to hold the position of School Counselor for middle school aged students. The decision to enter into counseling came from the empathy that I have for the children that enter school with an array of limitations and challenges. I strongly believe that the experiences that I have had as an educator will only enhance the effect that I would have on the children I service.

As Claremont’s School Counselor, my primary goal is to offer counseling services as an additional resource to help our students succeed in their academic goals, as well as support social and emotional growth throughout the school year. Counseling sessions in a school setting are typically short-term in nature and focus on solutions to help your child succeed in all areas of their development.

Counseling activities can include individual or group counseling, whole class presentations and observations. Many of these activities will focus on helping students learn ways to build positive social skills, gain confidence in their ability to interact with others and learn ways to deal with problems and conflicts constructively. In addition, I am the Site Coordinator for Student Success Plans (SST) and Section 504 Plans.

Any student can request to meet with me. As for students, they just need to ask to see me and I will set up a time to meet with them. Students may also be referred to counseling from a teacher, staff member, or a parent/guardian.

I am here to help students achieve their personal/social and academic goals, as well as provide support for the parents and teachers. My office is in Room 27 and I can be reached by email at dawud.akram@ousd.org or extension 2027.

I look forward to meeting all of you!

–Mr. Akram