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Nick Kourabas stood in the bustling corridor outside of his office at Mamaroneck High School Tuesday afternoon as the final bell rang on the last day of classes. His corner office was silent as a mad rush of students filled the hall connecting the Post Road and Palmer Avenue sides of the building.
On a typical year, Kourabas would only be saying goodbye to the seniors who had him as a counselor. This year, however, he will be bidding farewell to all his students. Kourabas will leave the school after 28 years when his contract expires June 30.
"I'll miss the kids," Kourabas, the coordinator of counseling for grades six through 12, said. "The kids in this high school are just terrific, active kids who were very easy to work with."
The New York University graduate began his tenure at MHS as an English teacher in 1978, but realized he was less interested in teaching literature than affecting lives. Since he had a masters in counseling from Liebman College, he decided to become a counselor seven years later in 1988.
"There are a couple of former students who are currently employees in the school district as teachers, and that makes me pretty proud to know that, maybe, I had some influence," Kourabas said.
Kourabas will also miss his colleagues and the Mamaroneck community.
"This community has always made it evident that they support what we do, whether it's counselors, teachers, administrators. I'm going to miss that," he said. "Not every professional in education gets to work in that atmosphere."
The Mahopac resident will move on this fall to the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester as a college counselor for juniors and seniors.
"After 28 years here, it'll be a little bit odd walking into a building and saying that's where I work, he said. Long term, I hope to do some writing and improve my golf game, if that's even a remote possibility."
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