WOODBURY — Would you have guessed that one of Nonnewaug’s guidance counselors played football from sixth grade all the way until high school as a receiver?

It definitely was not expected, especially from Chris Maclean. As a counselor at Nonnewaug, Maclean presumes to be much different than a football player — although being a counselor wasn’t what he planned to become when he was younger.

“I have a major in archaeology, which could not really get me much of anywhere,” Maclean said. “Plus it was too much school and learning other languages, which is then when I decided that I’d rather work with students.”

Generally, not many students meet with counselors as much as they should. Without meeting with counselors, most students would believe they are not as interesting as they really are.

Maclean is one of the most visited counselors at Nonnewaug. Many students are acquainted with him and even find it hard to be able to visit him at times.

“It is a struggle to be able to see him as often as I want to due to new COVID guidelines that only allow for two people to be in his office at a time,” junior Kayla Zottola said. 

Since Maclean is so frequently visited as a counselor, he often has to deal with many problems that students have to overcome, which can be extremely overwhelming. Many students, like junior Megan Bell, even switch counselors to be able to seek him. 

“It was nothing personal with my other counselor; I just feel more comfortable going to Mr. Maclean,” Bell said. “All my friends have him as a counselor, so I began to visit with them before corona. I saw how much he was helping them, so I decided to meet with him separately and he has been an extremely helpful counselor.”

One of Maclean’s frequent visitors, senior Chloe Wilkes added: “Last week, I came into Maclean’s office very upset about the schedule change. He knew exactly what to say and how to help me with my situation. He assured me that I was not alone, and that he has had to deal with many students that often come to him about the same problem. This is why I know if anything happens, I can always come to see Mr. Maclean.”

Even outside of school, Maclean likes to keep himself busy.

“In the summer, Mr. Maclean runs a residential overnight camp with his wife and he goes to Lake of Isles in eastern Connecticut near Foxwoods every Sunday with the two friends that he has,” fellow guidance counselor Stephanie Gutierrez said.

Before Maclean came to Nonnewaug, he worked at the University of New Haven in financial aid 13 years ago. He also has a 21-year-old cat, Felix, which is pretty impressive.

Students also know that Maclean has a sweet tooth.

“One major thing to know about Mr. Maclean would be that his favorite food is anything candy-related,” Zottola said.

Many students that frequently visit him would find it extremely rare that no candy is in his office. Maclean’s favorite candy is Cadbury eggs, which he seems to keep hidden in his office because he does not want anyone to steal them from him. 

When students visit him to talk about their issues, it is a nice way of making them feel better by having some candy or any kind of food he has accessible.

“Mr. Maclean has always helped me with my problems no matter the circumstance,” junior Lauren Parker said. “He has always offered me great advice as well as candy, which is always nice.”