Counselor's Notebook, January 2009

Volume 45

Number 5

www.masca.org

Celebrating National School Counseling Week

January 2009

Join Us in Advocacy

By CELESTE CIANFRANI MASCA Awards and Publicity Chair

M

ark your calendars. National School Counseling Week will be celebrated from February 2-6 to focus public attention on the unique contributions of professional school counselors.

This year’s theme, “School Counselors: Making a Difference,” offers school counselors the ideal opportunity to expose the tremendous impact we can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a fulfilling future.

MASCA encourages you to use National School Counseling Week as a platform to promote an improved understanding of the role of the school counselor and what comprehensive school counseling programs contribute to our schools and communities.

Using some simple, yet effective, public relations strategies, you can communicate the meaningful work you do and the positive influences you have in students’ lives every day to students, staff, parents/guardians, and your community.

Here are a few suggestions: • Have a proclamation signed by the district superintendent, mayor, or other dignitary official declaring February 2-6, 2009 as National School Counseling Week.

• Show your appreciation by presenting someone who has been especially supportive of your school counseling program with a Certificate of Appreciation.

• Start each day of the week with a special morning announcement from the school counseling department.

• Issue a National School Counseling Week press release to local newspapers.

• Contact your local newspaper or television station and ask to have a story run about your school counseling program

during the week.

• Contact your local Community Access Television Station to help you publicize National School Counseling Week and your school counseling program.

• Host an open house to inform and educate students, staff, and parents / guardians about your role in the school and what you do to promote the academic, personal / social, and career development of all students.

• Create a brochure describing your school counseling program to distribute to parents / guardians.

• Produce a daily newsletter for staff highlighting a topic (e.g., suicide, depression, substance abuse, Internet safety) that impacts students in your community.

To assist you in your campaign, ASCA offers a National School Counseling Week Kit, which includes posters, stickers, pencils, a sample press release, a countdown calendar, and a number of other useful tools for building and promoting your school counseling program. To learn more or to purchase the kit, visit the ASCA website at www.schoolcounselor.org. ■

BOB BARDWELL MASCA Past President

A

ll school counselors, directors of guidance, counselor educators, graduate students, and others interested in school counseling in Massachusetts are invited to participate in the 2009 Leadership Forum for Massachusetts School Counselors on Beacon Hill on Wednesday, February 4 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

To organize this program, MASCA has partnered with the College Board, New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC), Massachusetts Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association (MSSAA), Massachusetts (continued on page 19)

Inside . . .

For the New Year: A Moving Resolution

By Sally Connolly ........................ 3 Advocacy: Each and Every Day

By Christine Evans ...................... 4 Career Planning: Then and Now

By Karen D’Amour ..................... 8

21st Century School Counselors

By Richard White .......................... 10 Developing Competencies for HighQuality Urban School Counselors

By Felicia Wilczenski ..................... 12 MASCA Awards Nomination .....13 & 14

Advocacy Day Registration ............... 16

NEWS OF NOTE

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK 2008 – 2009 PRESIDENT KAREN M. D’AMOUR Manchester Essex Regional High School 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester, MA 01944 Tel. 978-526-7641 • Fax 978-526-2044 E-mail: damourk@mersd.org PRESIDENT-ELECT CHRISTINE EVANS Director of Guidance East Bridgewater High School 11 Plymouth Street, East Bridgewater, MA 02333 E-mail: cevans@EBPS.net PAST PRESIDENT JENNIFER JUST McGUIRE Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Tel. 508-759-7711 x247 • E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY AMANNDA BARTRAM Lynn Public Schools, Lynn, MA 01902 E-mail: bartrama@lynnschools.org VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH RICHARD WHITE Gateway Regional Middle School 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA 01050 E-mail: RWhite@GRSD.org VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY JENNIFER LISK Medway High School Medway, MA 02053 E-mail: lisk@medway.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JAY LEIENDECKER Vice President Enrollment Services, Dean College Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jleiendecker@dean.edu VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School Somerville, MA E-mail: crichards@k12.somerville.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS FELICIA L. WILCZENSKI, Ed.D. Professor and Associate Dean Graduate College of Education UMass Boston, Boston, MA 02125 E-mail: Felicia.Wilczenski@umb.edu VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES RALPH SENNOTT P.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886 Tel. 978-692-8244 • E-mail: ralphsennott@hotmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THOMAS HUGHART Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA 02481 Tel. 781-446-6305 x5142 • Fax 781-446-6308 E-mail: thom_hughart@wellesley.mec.edu TREASURER TINA KARIDOYANES P.O. Box 1007, Monument Beach, MA 02553 Tel. 508-759-3986 • E-mail: tkaridoyanes@gmail.com SECRETARY ANN HOURIGAN North Reading High School, North Reading, MA 01864 Tel. 978-664-7800 • E-mail: annhourigan@yahoo.com Questions concerning membership in the Massachusetts School Counselors Association should be addressed to:

Data Boot Camp

Foundation, they have been able to award

If you purchased Dr. Russ Sabella’s CD,

over $500,000 to 210 high school and

Data Boot Camp, please be aware that

undergraduate students in Massachusetts

there is a problem that results in back-

who are continuing their education in

ground noise conflicting with the video

restaurant and foodservice. These students

portion of the program. The latest version

are the future of the restaurant industry.

of Flash Player, 10, solves the problem.

Please encourage students who are in-

The step-by-step “fix” is posted on

terested in the food service industry to

MASCA’s website. Cut and paste the lo-

apply for scholarships for the 2009-2010

cation Russ has sent us, follow his instruc-

academic school year. Applicants who are

tions, and you will be all set.

high school seniors or graduates, college

http://www.masca.org/MA_Model/

undergraduates, or GED credential hold-

Mass_Model.html

ers must be planning to attend or already

MRA Scholarships

ondary accredited program.

attend a restaurant / foodservice postsecFor the past eight years, Massachusetts

To learn about eligibility requirements

Restaurant Association (MRA) members

or to receive an application, go to www.

have donated to the MRA Educational

marestaurantassoc.org. The application

Foundation’s Scholarship fund, and, in

can be downloaded, or you can call the

partnership with the NRA Educational

MRAEF at 508-303-9985. ■

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: DeborahClemence@verizon.net The Counselor’s Notebook is published by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. 10 times a year, September through June. The yearly subscription rate is $20.00; individual issues are $2.00.

Opinions expressed in the articles published herein represent the ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does not imply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs, services, or views expressed. © 2008 by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.

All rights reserved.

Questions concerning submission of articles, publication deadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed to: SALLY A. CONNOLLY, Editor 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

For the New Year: A Moving Resolution

By SALLY A. CONNOLLY, Counselor’s Notebook Editor he health benefits of exercise are so great that it is probably the “T most important self help treatment available.” Thus say the editors of the British Medical Journal in the December issue.

“Regular exercise,” they continue, “reduces the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and death from all causes. Regular physical activity and structured exercise can also reduce falls and injuries, and it is a key factor in the prevention and management of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

It also promotes mental wellbeing and helps people to manage their weight.”

What more could I want? But wait, there is more.

Researchers have also found that physical exercise may prevent cognitive decline.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia recommend clinicians to “consider encouraging their clients to undertake both aerobic-based exercise training and resistance training not only for ‘physical health’ but also because of the almost certain benefits for ‘brain health.’ ” How fortuitous. This news comes only a few weeks after my decision to begin a self-imposed program of increased physical activity. The timing couldn’t be better: with the new year comes a chance to wipe the slate clean and begin again.

The first goals in my program are flexibility and aerobic endurance. Strength training is important, I know, but maybe later, after I have made some real progress.

To begin, I am relying on old and recently-purchased DVD’s. Like an artificial Christmas tree, which for years I have urged my children to buy, DVD’s are convenient. With them you don’t have to worry about weather or crowds or manner of dress.

For flexibility and balance I am relying on the ancient art of Tai Chi. The program I chose includes instruction as well as 20-, 40-, and 60-minute workouts. The instructor, Ramel Rones, has an extensive background in the martial arts, and he works as a scientific consultant of mind/ body therapies at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Tufts School of Medicine. Sounds good to me.

But Ramel is not my only mentor.

Depending on the mood of the day, I can choose to walk slim with Leslie Sansone, or I can heat up the dance floor with Kathy Smith in a Latin dance fest, or I can hula along with Kili on the Hawaiian JANUARY 2009

shore. If I’m feeling a bit more classical, I can join the New York City Ballet in its beginner’s workout.

Improvising is another possibility. Having added the Jersey Boys and Saturday Night Fever to my CD collection, I now have an open invitation to dance. If Frankie Valli and John Travolta can’t draw me onto the floor, nobody can.

Unlike Oprah, I don’t have the benefit of a personal trainer like Bob Greene. But

I do have a gallery of companions to take his place. I will keep both Bob and O in mind during the New Year as I work to combine Tai Chi, dance, and plain, oldfashioned walking to improve my health.

Like Oprah, I am sharing my goals for the New Year. Public disclosure, I have found, puts direct social pressure on one’s intentions. And following Oprah’s lead, I plan to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. ■

3

Advocacy: Each and Every Day

CHRISTINE EVANS MASCA President-elect chool counselors are the spokes on the wheel that drives student success, not the tassels on the handlebars” (Karen DeCoster, DESE).

I first heard this quote at the October 2008 MASCA Governing Board meeting in Boxborough. It was repeated again the next day by several of the fall conference keynote speakers.

One of the major themes for the conference was the importance of counselors embracing our role as advocates for both our students and our profession. As soon as I heard the words, I was struck by the

“S

image and how true it is.

As school counselors, we are an essential part of each student’s success in school.

We are not decorations, in place simply to make things look good. We have an essential role in helping all students meet with success in school and, in many cases, well into their postsecondary years.

We are all advocates for the profession of school counseling on several different levels.

Through our daily work as a school counselor, through formal and informal communications with administrators, and through our service and support in local, affiliate, and state professional counselor associations, we have many opportunities to speak on the importance of a solid counseling program and the impact school counselors have on student success.

When we meet with faculty, parents and administrators, we advocate for our students and what is in the best interest of helping them achieve their goals. In our daily interactions with students, we provide the expertise, care, and support they need to realize their dreams and meet

with success.

When we make presentations at the faculty meetings or to the school committee, we are advocating for the profession. By sharing what we are doing with students and how it is making a difference, we are able to demonstrate the importance of having professional school counselors in place to work with students on academic, career planning, and social/ emotional issues.

Last year, a number of school counselors from around the Commonwealth completed a Massachusetts Accountability Report Card (MARC Jr.), and their schools received recognition of the award

by MASCA. The MARC Jr. document and the MARC are great tools that can be used along with the yearly calendar to show stakeholders how we interact with students and how we measure the usefulness of our lessons and interventions. By making our mission and objectives clear and available for all to see, we are advocating for the important work we do in helping students succeed.

Advocating at home is essential, but it is not enough. We need to do more.

Outside our school districts, we can advocate for the profession through service in the local, state, and national counselor organizations. We do this by speaking at meetings, presenting workshops for our peers at the state conferences (we all have something of worth to share with our colleagues), writing articles for the monthly journal, and becoming involved as a Massachusetts representative at the ASCA conference and workshops. Serving as an officer in school counseling associations, moreover, enables us to become a spokesperson for the profession. It gives us the opportunity to speak on behalf of counselors throughout the Commonwealth.

A special day for advocacy Many counselors from around Massachusetts attended the workshop in November to learn more about advocacy and to prepare for the “Day on the Hill,” which will take place on February 4.

Even if you were unable to attend the day in November, I urge you to mark your calendar and plan to attend. This will be an appropriate way to commemorate National School Counseling Week 2009 and to stand up for the important difference we make in the lives of the children in our schools. ■

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2009

5

The Future Is Now

I

have met the future, and it looks really good! I am referring to the networking event held in November at the Union Grill in Newton.

Elizabeth Reed, a graduate student from Boston College, organized it. It was a huge success, with approximately 70 people in attendance. I personally spoke with students from Boston College, UMass Boston, Boston University, Suffolk University, Cambridge College, and Northeastern University.

Since it was announced by word of mouth (e-mail, actually), I thought this was an excellent representation and turnout. There were no activities, except for Elizabeth’s welcome and my plug for everyone to join MASCA. It was pure networking — moving around, introducing yourself, and making connections. There were a handful of veteran counselors and some counselor educators as well.

Gathered in the room, thus, and enjoying each other’s company was the future of school counseling in Massachusetts.

THOM HUGHART MASCA Executive Director Being an old counselor and a counselor educator myself, here are some of the things that impressed me: First, I felt the energy. The noise level was high, with lots of laughter. I could hear snippets of conversations about this placement or that counselor education program. Of course, there was quite a bit of discussion about jobs and the future of counseling in Massachusetts.

Second, I saw the intense look of interest and involvement on the face of everyone. There were no bored interns or

tired counselors. The cost of admission was not in dollars, but in their commitment to make a difference. All the new counselors I spoke with had a story about their work and their desire to have a positive and lasting impact on their students, schools, and communities.

Third, I listened to the discussions and insights people were sharing. Discussion was not about the little world of school counseling, but rather about the big picture. It focused on the important role

The future of school counseling lies in the hands of enthusiastic new professionals. counselors play in confronting the global issues of the achievement gap, the mental and physical well-being of students, the impact of stress in our schools, and the importance of self-knowledge and healthy self-image in the transitions our students face from pre-K to college.

And finally, I experienced the peace of knowing that the profession will be just fine. We are preparing our students well to take over the field. But I also came away knowing that there is still much we can teach them. We counselor educators have done our best to make them ready. Now, the site supervisors and experienced counselors have to train them in the field — with real students, parents, and faculty. The interns will see if their classroom preparation matches the reality of their field placements.

We offer Degrees and Certificates in Join in advocacy My final point. On February 4, Massachusetts school counselors will be on Beacon Hill to speak with our legislators to make sure they understand who we are and what we do. We will have documents with fact sheets and statistics to hand out.

But the most valuable asset we can bring with us and showcase proudly is our future, our new counselors.

So, all of you site supervisors and counselor educators, we need to encourage and support our interns and new counselors to be there on the Hill. Let that enthusiasm and energy, that intelligence and insight, deliver our message and make that difference. ■

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2009

7

Career Planning: Then and Now

KAREN D’AMOUR MASCA President

I

n the early 1970’s one of my friends was graduating from high school and knew he wanted to go to college. But, much like today, his parents wanted him to have an idea of a major.

Being intelligent and resourceful, he researched the fastest-growing and bestpaying jobs in Massachusetts that required at least a four-year college degree. The number one job at the time was accountant /CPA. He looked up the career in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and decided that accounting would be his major. He successfully became a CPA and

8

worked in that profession for years. Later, he went to law school, and now he enjoys buying and selling businesses.

What I particularly like about his journey is that he set the criteria for a career that was important to him—employability and financially rewarding—and he went for it. Later on, he tweaked his career to suit him better. Now he has no regrets.

While in graduate school to become a school counselor, I worked for a while as a social studies teacher in a vocational technical high school. Every student had a career plan; and within two to three years of working there, I would see former students who were so proud of their career success.

One young man stands out in my mind due to his initiative and sense of humor.

He pulled up to me one day, driving a very nice, late-model truck. He said that he was a licensed plumber. He felt confident that he made more money than I did, and he was planning to take business courses so that he could own his own plumbing business someday.

Having a career plan in high school,

he said, made getting through high school easier. He had learned that a high school diploma was a steppingstone to what would be important in his life. But, he confessed, he still wasn’t sure of the purpose of the Western Civilization class. Unfortunately, he drove off before I had a chance to offer an explanation.

As a new high school counselor in the 1980’s, I taught students how to create career portfolios; and I ran career education classes, shadow experiences, and career field trips. Our students appreciated the individual attention they received, and the drop-out rate at our high school was very low. One of the keys to improving high school graduation rates is to help students see the connection between school and their future.

Today, Governor Patrick and members of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are interested in giving the students of the Commonwealth the tools they need to be careersuccessful, pre-K through at least community college. Just for the fun of it, if we were to use my friend’s method of selecting a career in conjunction with the Governor’s initiative of a community college education for every student in the Commonwealth, then the following information would help guide students in Massachusetts.

According to the Career Exploration Web Guide, the five fastest growing community college level careers are Veterinary Technician, Physical Therapy Assistant, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Dental Hygienist, Paralegal, and Legal Assistant.

The number one best-paying career is Nursing. Others that pay well include Computer Specialist, Radiation Therapist, Nuclear Technician and Technologist, and Dental Hygienist.

I don’t advise you to use this method of career planning, but the information is interesting. I do know, however, that as a school counselor, I should be familiar with each of these occupations. And information such as this is worth having available for students and their parents.

We all know that waiting until senior year of high school is much too late to start planning for a career direction. The planning must start much younger, with some of the important career planning steps taking place before eighth grade.

Contact me with your own career planning initiatives. Happy New Year! ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2009

9

21st Century School Counselors

By RICHARD WHITE, M.Ed., CAGS MASCA VP Middle / Jr. High School

F

or the past twenty-five years I have worked as a middle school counselor at Gateway Regional in Huntington. As one of the newer members of the MASCA Executive Board, I have had the pleasure of attending two governance meetings and the summer leadership development institute in Boston last August.

In meeting with other Board members,

10

I have been impressed with the passion and commitment of our Board and affiliate members as we move ahead to develop a strategic plan for our organization during very challenging times.

My interest in becoming involved in MASCA has been a long time coming and probably should not have taken this long.

I am thankful to my two outstanding, new

colleagues at Gateway— Carolynn Laurenza and Celeste Cianfrani—for providing our department with a renewed sense of focus and attention towards how a comprehensive model for school counseling programs can be implemented, even in the toughest of economic times.

Working alongside two counselors who have recently graduated from the UMass program, I have been impressed with their ability to hit the ground running. Their dogged persistence to put theory into practice and to support the academic mission of our schools and district is noteworthy.

Hopefully, you are in a district that has been able to hire new counselors over the past few years who have similar training and a keen sense of where we’ve been and, even more importantly, where we need to be going.

As I talk with fellow counselors from around the state at our conferences, it is clear that we are at different stages of Model implementation and acceptance.

For me, I began to understand how it all fit together after I attended the first MASCA Summer Institute in July of 2007.

Working with some of the most talented counselor-educators in our profession, including Jan Tkaczyk, Helen O’Donnell, and Katie Gray, I realized that we are at that once-every-twenty-five-yearmoment in our profession when change becomes inevitable and necessary. The culture of what we are all about necessitates a fundamental shift in how we do our job, and I encourage fellow counselors to make the time to attend our institutes, trainings, and workshops and to take advantage of our high quality professional development programs.

As we move ahead, I hope that the dark fiscal clouds that have formed overhead in Massachusetts do not significantly hinder our ability to re-create our profession and to work towards full implementation of a comprehensive model for school counseling. Having worked with two new counselors in my district who are full of fresh and creative ideas, I know just how effective change can be when the time is right and the spirit is willing. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2009

11

Developing Competencies for High-Quality Urban School Counselors

By FELICIA L. WILCZENSKI, Ed.D., Professor and Associate Dean, UMass Boston MASCA VP Counselor Educators

W

hy does someone decide to be an urban school counselor? What makes being an urban school counselor a rewarding career? Under what circumstances do school counselors develop the commitments, understandings, and skills to meet the demands of urban settings?

To what extent are these counselors change agents who advocate for social justice, reform their schools, and improve urban communities?

Answers to the above questions will give us a better understanding of how to educate such urban school counselors so that they have the commitments, understandings, and skills they need to positively affect the students they serve.

My experience in designing and implementing a school counseling program to promote social justice has shown that urban school counselors need more than generic school counseling competencies.

They need to understand urban culture

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and urban schools’ bureaucratic structures and be committed to preventing and eliminating achievement and opportunity gaps. Effective urban school counselors are strong advocates for educational access and equity.

“Urban” refers to not only a city location but also to a cultural context. City life is diverse, incorporating people of different races, languages, beliefs, values, customs, and economic strata, all living together in close proximity. It is the diversity and complexity of urban culture that complicate education in urban schools.

Urban schools face qualitatively different issues than schools in suburban or rural areas, and school counselor education needs to provide learning experiences that address those differences.

To be effective in urban settings, school counselors need to know the meaning of culture, the impact of culture on learning and schools, and the nature of eth-

nic, racial, and inner city cultures different from their own as well as the role of culture in socialization, interaction, and communication. Urban school counselors need to understand the sociopolitical context that may limit low-income students and their parents’ participation in school life. To gain a broad and deep understanding of urban communities, graduate students need to be given several opportunities to work with and socialize with urban youth.

Enhancing the competence and commitment of urban school counselors requires that school counselor education be structured differently from conventional course work and field experiences.

School counseling internships in urban areas need to extend beyond the school walls to include time working in human service and recreational community agencies which support families and youth.

The Massachusetts Department of Ele-

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

mentary and Secondary Education requires a minimum 450-hour practicum in an educational setting for school counseling licensure (guidance). School counseling programs often require a substantially greater number of hours for practicum and those extra hours might be arranged in urban community placements.

If extra practicum hours are not feasible, pre-practicum hours could be carried out in agencies serving an urban community.

Service learning is yet another strategy and powerful pedagogy for community engagement. Through curriculum-based service, graduate students assigned to community settings outside the school can learn first hand about urban contexts, provide personnel resources to human service organizations, and grapple with social justice issues.

Although job retention is a widely used measure of urban school counselor success, a more important measure is the impact of the school counselors’ work in the school and in the community as a whole. The major issues confronting urban school counselors are the achievement and opportunity gaps. High quality urban school counseling might be determined by the extent to which these counselors promote student achievement.

School achievement, however, is multidetermined. Linking counselor success to student success would not give a full picture, and other indicators would be more relevant, such as: How many students are prepared to enter post-secondary education? How many students will be the first in the family to attend college? To what extent did the school counselors engage as activists for more equitable schooling and to what effect?

This article is a call for counselor educators to gather evidence as a basis to develop new ways of conceptualizing, addressing, and assessing urban school counselor quality. It is important to identify what commitments, understandings, and skills need to be developed to ensure high quality urban school counseling and how those attributes differ from generic school counseling competencies. This is a huge educational and research challenge for school counselor educators and practitioners alike.

––––––––––––––––––––

Note: To discuss these issues with colleagues, contact the MASCA affiliate, Urban Counselors Association, or go to MASCA’s website for contact information. ■ JANUARY 2009

Nominate a Colleague for a MASCA Award The MASCA Awards and Publicity Committee would like to encourage you to nominate a colleague for a MASCA Award. Please take a moment to review the awards descriptions and let us know who you feel exemplifies excellence and contributes meaningfully to our profession.

To nominate a deserving colleague for a MASCA Award, please complete the nomination form below. The Awards & Publicity Committee will then contact your nominee to invite them to submit the required materials for consideration.

The nomination packet will include two letters of recommendation and at least one additional piece of supporting information.

All nomination forms must be submitted no later than February 1, 2009.

Please note this deadline has been changed to give nominees and committee members more time due to the earlier dates of the spring conference this year.

Awards criteria can be found on following page.

Thank you for helping us to recognize excellence in the school counseling profession!

MASCA Awards Nomination Form 2008-2009 Nominator Name: ____________________________________________________ School/Organization: __________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________ Nominee: ____________________________________________________________ School/Organization: __________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________ MASCA Award: ______________________________________________________ Brief statement about why your nominee deserves to be selected for this MASCA Award: _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Nominations can be e-mailed to cccianfrani@grsd.org with MASCA Award Nomination as the subject line or mailed to: Celeste Cianfrani Chair, MASCA Awards Committee 12 Littleville Road Huntington, MA 01050

The deadline for submitting nominations is February 1, 2009.

Awards criteria can be found on the following page.

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50

YEARS

MASCA Awards 2008-2009

1961

MASCA Counselor of the Year A current MASCA member and a licensed counselor serving during the current school year in an elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school, or in a local or regional school system and who has made outstanding contributions to his/her school. The recipient will have excellent rapport with pupils, parents, and school personnel and is a highly respected counselor of students.

2011

Reflections of a Past President

By MARY WESTCOTT MASCA Past President

A MASCA Administrator of the Year An administrator who has made an outstanding and significant contribution to the guidance and counseling movement, developed and/or implemented an innovative program or initiated improvements of school counseling services in his/her area of responsibility.

MASCA Leadership Award A current MASCA member and a licensed counselor serving during the current school year in an elementary, secondary, or postsecondary school or in a local or regional school system and who demonstrates able leadship in the counseling profession at theer local, state, or national level.

MASCA Special Award An individual who has made a contribution of unusual significance that substantially affects the guidance and counseling profession. The contribution directly affects counselors, students, or a school program and the individual is not eligible for any other MASCA Awards.

The MASCA Torch Award: • Rising Star Award An individual who has entered the school counseling profession within the last five years. The award winner is a model for new counselors demonstrating the highest standards of professional competence, outstanding contributions to the school community and/or profession and has demonstrated excellent rapport with students, parents and school personnel.

• Retiring Counselor Award A counselor who is retiring in the current year or has retired within the last five years. This counselor has served as a model for new counselors, demonstrating highest standards of professional competence, having made outstanding contributions to the school community and/or profession and demonstrated excellent rapport with students, parents, and school personnel.

The George Thompson Memorial Scholarship Award A $1,000 scholarship award named in honor of George Thompson, a longtime friend and contributor to MASCA. This award winner is a school counseling graduate student who demonstrates exceptional promise for leadership and contribution to our profession. Nominations from Counselor Educators are encouraged. ■

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s I reflect on the years of my presidency of MASCA (1990-91), I am amazed as to how quickly those years have passed. What I remember most of that year and the year preceding was my commitment to visit each of the MASCA affiliates. At the time, there were fourteen, and it was no easy task traveling from my Belmont home.

It often necessitated an overnight. But I achieved that goal. Meeting members on their own turf and sharing their concerns for the future aided me in understanding their needs.

During my presidency, the first Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Curriculum Guide—under the able chairmanship of Carol Ryan— was published in time for the annual meeting. We met frequently at Carol’s home and were treated to her generous hospitality. Also serving on that committee were Ed Bryant, Lillie Davis, Florence Athanasia, Fred Laire, Charlie Brovelli, Kevin Butler, Peter Burke, Jr., and Joan Hefner (now deceased).

Since my involvement in the planning of MASCA’s 50th birthday celebration, I have been delighted to see how many past presidents are willing to participate.

Many of these individuals, furthermore, have maintained an active interest in and support of MASCA. Attending the spring conferences, serving on committees, maintaining my active participation in Northeast Counselors Association (which named me honorary life trustee), and making presentations has also kept me connected. Although I am involved in a second career in my life, I have a deep affection for MASCA and am proud to have served as its leader.

The new, young members bring a vitality and verve to MASCA that is reflected in their leadership and enthusiasm. Yet they have a respect for the history and experience of their predecessors. A celebration of the past can only be enhanced by the vision of the future. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

On the Road Again

JENNIFER JUST McGUIRE MASCA Past President

in recent years, we felt really at home and were thrilled (but not surprised) by their hospitality. Counselors from other states who were not as familiar with UTI were impressed with the school, its missions, and its leaders, and I was reminded of how fortunate MASCA is to have a connection with the school. The campus in Exton is just as impressive as the one in Norwood, and if you haven’t been to visit the school, I encourage you to make

I

am writing this after just returning home from attending a North Atlantic regional meeting of state leaders held in Pennsylvania. As I left my house early on a Friday morning, I honestly had to convince myself that the seven-hour drive to Pennsylvania was a good use of my time.

As usual, it was tough to spend the day out of the office knowing that Monday would bring unanswered e-mails and a number of voice mails. And despite the fact that the gas prices had gone down recently, the thought of spending fourteen hours on the road in a two-day period was not a positive one.

However, since our president-elect, Chris Evans, was meeting me to share a ride, I had no choice but to follow through with my commitment.

After a fairly uneventful journey to Exton, Pennsylvania, Chris and I were treated to a wonderful Friday evening and an inspiring Saturday of leadership development. There is something to be said for the energy you get from others.

Meeting with and sharing ideas with other state leaders is such an invigorating experience.

In many ways I feel lucky to be part of MASCA. Our organization is doing so much in terms of moving our profession forward and demonstrating the impact that school counselors have on student achievement in Massachusetts. Despite how successful our organization is, it is always exciting to hear about what others are doing and get ideas that we can bring back to move our organization forward.

Chris and I had a chance during our meeting to share with others and bring back some ideas to consider for us.

We were lucky to be hosted by Universal Technical Institute. Because of the relationship that UTI has built with MASCA

JANUARY 2009

co

the time.

As we made our way back to Massachusetts on Saturday evening, despite being tired, Christine and I agreed that the journey was worth the effort and the sacrifices we made. Once again I realized how fortunate I have been to serve on MASCA’s Governing Board and to have such wonderful opportunities to network with other counselors and further develop my own leadership skills. ■

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2009 Leadership Forum for Massachusetts School Counselors on Beacon Hill Wednesday, February 4, 2009 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM REGISTRATION FORM Please complete and return by January 21, 2009 to: The College Board – New England Regional Office 470 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Fax: 781-663-2743 Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Title: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ School /College / Organization: _________________________________________________________________________________ Business Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ City/ State / Zip: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________ Fax: ______________________________________________ E-mail: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The event is free. Lunch and materials are included.

As a Leadership Day participant, you will visit the offices of your State Senator and State Representative in the Massachusetts State Legislature on Wednesday, February 4, 2009. Please call the offices of your State Senator and State Representative as soon as possible and schedule appointments with each of your legislators. Try to make the appointments between 1:00 and 2:30 PM. Allow at least 20 minutes for each appointment and give yourself at least 15 minutes between appointments. If you are attending with someone from the same Senate or House District, make your appointments together. Try to meet with your legislator; however, if he or she is not available, ask to meet with an aide who deals with educational issues. If you have any questions or concerns about making the appointments, please contact Brad MacGowan at bmacgowan@comcast.net, Bob Bardwell at BardwellR@monsonschools.com, or Jon Westover at jonw@admissions.umass.edu.

Tell Us About You Work

Home Residence

Who is your State Senator?

Who is your State Representative?

What is your 9 digit zip code?

To find legislators’ names and contact information, go to www.wheredoivote.com and enter your home/voting address. Click on the “Find my election information” button, and this will bring you to the “My election information” page. Then click in the name next to “Senate in General Court” for your Senator’s information page. Arrow back to the “My election information” page and click in the name next to “Rep in General Court” for your Representative’s information page.

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Learning about Self-Injury

By ELIZABETH REED MASCA Graduate Student Liaison

A

t the MASCA Fall Conference I attended the self-injury workshop presented by Dr. Barent Walsh. I went to it mainly out of curiosity because I did not know much about the topic. I knew that self-injury existed but did not know how prevalent it actually was.

For me, the workshop elicited feelings of interest, fear, and confusion. What drives someone to injure themselves to relieve emotional pain? What would I say to a student that self-injures? Most importantly, how could I help them?

After the workshop, I decided to write one of my school papers on self-injury, so that I could learn more about it. I was shocked to find out just how many students self-injure at my practicum and even more surprised to find out how common it is throughout the country. Not only are students participating in the behavior to relieve their own emotional pain, but some of them are doing it to fit in. It has become a social contagion that is rapidly spreading, often starting in middle school.

A natural response for adults unfamiliar with the behavior is to judge the student or tell them that what they are doing is wrong. As you can imagine, this is not the most effective way to react to a student who self-injures. It is important to maintain respect for the student and not make them feel worse than they already do. Parents, teachers, and the community need to be better educated on this topic, so that they know how to identify self-injuring behavior as well as what to do.

Self-injury is quickly becoming a serious problem in high schools throughout the United States. It seems to be a topic that many want to avoid (including parents, teachers, administrators, and even some counselors).

I strongly encourage anyone wanting to work with children and adolescents to learn more about self-injury and how to support those who engage in the behavior.

To keep this social contagion from becoming an epidemic, we must raise the awareness within our schools and communities.

If self-injury is something that you see at your practicum site or if you just want to learn more about it, you can visit the MASCA website to download Dr. Walsh’s presentation, or you can go to www. selfinjury.com. ■

JANUARY 2009

Meet Our 2008-2009 Emerging Leaders

M

ASCA is fortunate to have yet another great group of Emerging Leaders for the 2008-09 year: Taryn Boyer, Karma Tousignant, and Meg Walendin.

Taryn is a school counselor at East Bridgewater High School, Karma is a school counselor at Lunenburg High School, and Meg is a school resource counselor at Somerville High School.

Karma recently had a baby, and we hope that she will be able to participate in the spring when she returns from maternity leave.

The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) was approved in early 2007 by the MASCA Governing Board. Its main goal is to identify potential leaders within the school counseling profession in Massachusetts and to get them involved with MASCA. Emerging leaders have to be a professional school counselor and MASCA member who has not been an elected or appointed Governing Board member and has a desire to give back to our profession.

Emerging leaders must present at a MASCA sponsored conference, attend a Governing Board meeting and one of the affiliate meetings, write articles for the Counselor’s Notebook, and participate in EL trainings. In return, emerging leaders receive a free, one-year membership in MASCA, free conference registration, and free leadership training.

This year, Meg and Taryn are working closely with Kate Salas, chair of the MASCA Member Services Committee, to plan a workshop for new counselors and graduate students for the 2009 spring conference in Sturbridge. Look for more details in the conference materials.

In addition, for those who are new to the school counseling profession, Meg and Taryn are creating an information packet as well as a mentor program.

For more information about the Emerging Leaders Program, please contact Bob Bardwell at bardwellr@monson schools.com. ■

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MASCA Spring Conference 2009

ED’S VIEWS

H

Sturbridge Host Inn, Sturbridge April 30 – May 2, 2009 Keynoter: Michael Thompson Author of Raising Cain

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ED BRYANT, NCC MASCA Life Trustee

ope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had our annual Thanksgiving Day touch football game, tailgate fun, and delicious dinner.

The day after Veteran’s Day, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts hosted a school counselor dinner. At that meeting we recognized Charles Brovelli, a Korean War veteran, for his services to school counselors. The U.S. Army presented appropriate gifts.

The 18th Annual Service Academies / ROTC Night was another great success, thanks to a great number of people. About 300 parents and students attended. We extend a special thanks to the Danversport Yacht Club. We have booked DYC for November 4, 2009.

The October issue of College Impressions newsletter has an excellent article, “Tips for a Good Interview,” from the Union College Admissions staff and Skidmore admissions.

NBCC supports the employment of mental health counselors. This is a positive step to ensure that our nation’s veterans “are provided the care they so justly deserve.”

Dr. Ken Hoyt, a leading figure in career counseling, died on August 27 in Iowa.

Many academies and universities have a Summer Seminar for juniors. The U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar is highly competitive. Juniors interested in this informative six-day session at USNA should check the website after February 1: www.usna.edu/Admissions.

MASCA 50th celebration news: In the October 1986 Counselor’s Notebook, Life Trustee Al Williamson explained why there had been a substantial decrease in the number of counselors employed in the Commonwealth. After twenty-two years many of his reasons apply today.

Counselors, a helpful tool is ASCA Aspects. For information, write to asca aspects@schoolcounselors.org or call 703683-ASCA. Our thoughts are with MASCA President Karen D’Amour regarding a recent death in her family.

During this holiday season there will be stress, but we have the training, strength, and faith to handle it. Best to you all for 2009. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

BARDWELL (continued from page 1) Educational Opportunities Association (MEOA), and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). Additional organizations with interests in school counseling have also been invited to participate.

The Leadership Forum will include speakers from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as well as state legislators who are supportive of school counseling. MASCA leaders and ASCA staff will also be in attendance.

Legislators, legislative aides, and DESE staff will also be invited to hear about the school counseling profession and what we need to do to improve student wellbeing, career planning, and academic performance in the state.

In addition to the speakers and conversations around the importance of school counseling, participants will be asked to meet with their state representative and senator to educate them about what a school counselor does and why we make a difference. We need a large turnout of school counselors to show policy makers how vitally important school counselors are. Participants are encourage to bring data that shows how their school counseling program makes a positive impact on student performance, well-being, and achievement.

Registration forms must be completed and returned to the New England Regional Office of the College Board by January 21.

For more information about this exciting event to be held during National School Counseling Week, contact Brad MacGowan (bmacgowan@comcast.net) or me (bardwellr@monsonschools.com).

Come out and support your profession. ■

Save the Date!

21st Annual Conference for Guidance Counselors and Administrators Monday, March 16, 2009 • Regis College “The Impact of Technology on School Counseling” Keynote Speaker: Elizabeth K. Englander, Ph.D., Director of Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) at Bridgewater State College Sponsored by the Guidance Administrators Forum (GAF), an affiliate of MASCA

Input Requested To contribute your ideas on career education or another topic, write to Karen D’Amour, MASCA President, at damourk@mersd.org.

We can learn from each other, so let us know what you are doing.

JANUARY 2009

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SAVE THE DATE! Massachusetts School Counselor Advocacy Day on Beacon Hill Wednesday, February 4, 2009 • 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM Advocate for our students, our schools, and our profession MASCA, NEACAC, and the College Board have joined together to sponsor the 2009 Massachusetts School Counselor Advocacy Day on Beacon Hill.

School counselors and others who believe in quality school counseling programs in our schools will spend a day at the State House advocating for issues that are important to school counselors and the young people we serve.

Participants will receive training on legislative issues and advocacy and will talk in person with our elected legislators and other policymakers to inform them about who we are and what we do, and about the importance of quality school counseling in our students’ education and lives.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL FOR THIS TO WORK! All of our voices are needed for this effort to be effective.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! This will be a free event. Lunch will be provided. Please mark your calendars now. More details are forthcoming.

Questions? Please contact Brad MacGowan at bmacgowan@comcast.net, Bob Bardwell at BardwellR@monsonschools.com, or Jon Westover at jonw@admissions.umass.edu.

YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE IS INDICATED BY YEAR AND MONTH ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL BELOW.

When you renew your membership, return both the application and your check made payable to “MASCA” to the Membership Coordinator. To receive an acknowledgement of your membership, please include your e-mail address.

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Sally A. Connolly, Editor

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January 2009