Video: MHS Students Stage Silent Rally for School Counselor

Clad in white t-shirts and sporting green Wildcat war paint on their faces, students staged a silent rally Tuesday in an effort to save the job of one of their beloved school counselors.

Under current budget cutting plans, counselor Noel Hernandez and nine other school counselors in the district face the prospect of being laid off as the school board .

Senior MHS students Giselle Moreau and Dushani De Silva hope to save Hernandez's job by organizing students against the cost-cutting move.

"This is us trying to take a stand for someone we care about," De Silva said after the brief moment of silence held at MHS at lunch time Tuesday.

The students will stage another rally Thursday with the hopes of getting students to show up to the next school board meeting in droves to support Hernandez.

"Our goal is to have such a huge turnout of students and teachers and parents and individuals that they're forced to make a decision to help her keep her job," Moreau said.

Moreau, who will be attending Stanford in the fall, said Hernandez had a major impact on her academic and athletic success.

"She's been by my side throughout the academics, through all my college stuff, all the scholarship applications," Moreau said.

Hernandez is one of 86 MUSD employees facing layoffs if the school board's budget situation doesn't improve.

More information about the campaign can be found at www.facebook.com/2012Hernandez.