Counselor Connection

Within a school some jobs are easy to explain: teacher, librarian, principal; but what about a counselor? Who are they and what do they do?

School Counselors are educators trained in child and adolescent development, learning strategies, self-management, and social skills. In order to become a school counselor an individual must have a master's degree in counseling and development and pass state certification exams.

GISD is privileged to have ten counselors working with and for our students throughout the district. Nicole Rich, Jill Brown, and Valarie Griffin are at Gainesville High School. Katie Denney and Clark Bawcom are at Gainesville Junior High School. Kara Coberley is the counselor at Gainesville Intermediate. Shannon Johnson is at Chalmers Elementary and Jill Linnell is at Edison. Tori Godi works at both Chalmers and Edison. Robin Hobbs is the counselor at DAEP and Kim Parsons is the Special

Services counselor.

At any given time, you will see the GISD Counselors working directly or indirectly with students. Our counselors provide direct services by offering individual or small group counseling and classroom guidance lessons. Guidance lessons are driven by the needs of each campus. A kindergarten class may need guidance on tattling; our Intermediate students may need lessons on self-esteem.

Indirectly, counselors provide consultation with parents, teachers, and other educators to support student achievement. School counselors participate in student support team meetings to consult with teachers and administrators and provide strategies that empower teachers to encourage and promote social and emotional learning within the classroom.

Our counselors help to facilitate not only social emotional learning but also ensure schedules are complete and students are guided to coursework that will ensure they meet the requirements to graduate.

In order to serve the students once they step outside of the walls of their respective campuses, our counselors reach out into the community to help meet those needs. The counselors work with VISTO each year to help get food into the hands that need it most. VISTO provides weekly backpacks of food, and the counselors coordinate with VISTO to make sure no one goes hungry. Our counselors also join with the Gainesville Fire Department for an annual food drive, which puts food back into the homes of many of our students as well.

Another community outreach program is the Boys & Girls Club of Cooke County’s littlest angel program which is held every holiday season. The counselors assist by referring families to the organization, which allows every family to have a Merry Christmas!

Our counselors will seek out any community resource necessary to bring success to our students. At any time, a family can contact one of our district counselors and they can provide referrals for students and families for additional assistance.