National School Counseling Week, sponsored by American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February.
Urey Middle School Guidance Counselor Stephanie Reynolds touted the efforts of guidance counselors to the John Glenn School Board Tuesday night. She noted the time spent with students to help them with specific needs inside and outside of school, home visits, suicide awareness, anti-bullying awareness, mindfulness tips, positive messages in the school, talking to parents, and newsletters.
She said there were 300 kids in her office in the first semester.
Reynolds stated, “What we’re seeing more and more is more anxiety, more depression, more academic pressure, a lack of social skills and executive functions. That is what we’re seeing at the middle school level.”
She also commented that more guidance counselors are always needed. Superintendent Christopher Winchell noted that the corporation is working on a growth of educators which has resulted in the hire of an additional guidance counselor at the high school and interventionalists at the elementary school.
The school board commended all guidance counselors for their efforts.
