Counselor's Notebook, January 2011 by Sally Ann Connolly

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

VOL. 47, NO. 5

Beginning Again in the New Year

It’s Resolution Time By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director

By CHRISTINE EVANS MASCA Past President

or school counselors the beginning of the school year is a time of high hopes and energy. We enthusiastically start up the season with new students, new ideas, and big plans for the year ahead. We begin to fill up our calendars with classroom lessons, meetings, and school events. Soon, however, we become aware of all that needs to be done and how little time we have to do it. In addition to the plans and expectations we make, we are confronted with problems that we did not plan on; and the ever-increasing, unexpected demands on our time and energy leave us counting the days until the next long weekend. As the year kicks into full gear, it is easy to become entrenched in routine tasks, leaving us with little time to stop and reflect or even to take a breath. Celebrating the New Year allows us to slow down, take inventory, and assess our progress. How are we doing? Have we been able to implement the interventions we talked about; are they making a difference? Are we still full of hope and energy for the new ideas? If, indeed, we discover that we are not where we had hoped to be, marking the New Year gives us a chance to begin again. Although the difficulties we have en(continued on page 4)

JANUARY 2011

ell, my friends, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for New Year’s resolutions. We all make them with the very best intentions. Some of us really want to stop smoking, lose weight, exercise more, drink less, and improve our physical health. Others resolve to be better parents, spouses, children, or friends. Sometimes, we develop goals to make us more fiscally responsible by budgeting better and saving more. Still others will aspire to more lofty resolutions: volunteer more, return to church, support what we believe, help the homeless. All of these are very worthy resolutions, but most will be abandoned before mid-March. There is one area of life that seems to be ignored when we resolve to improve ourselves, and yet this is where resolutions can be made and kept. This area is our professional lives. What can we do to become better school counselors?

YEARS

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Let me offer a few possibilities. Most involve taking charge of your own professional development. 1. Resolve to support your professional organizations. All counselors benefit from the support of our professional organizations. American School Counselor Association (www.schoolcounselor.org), Massachusetts School Counselors Association (www.masca.org), and your local affiliate all offer opportunities for everything from networking with colleagues and other counselors to terrific professional development workshops and courses. This can all be done for total dues of less than $200. Consider volunteering for one of the MASCA committees by contacting the chairperson. They are listed on the website. 2. Resolve to take advantage of professional development opportunities. ASCA and MASCA both offer out(continued on page 4)

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND! MASCA Annual Spring Conference and 50th Birthday Celebration April 10-12, 2011

YEARS

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2010 – 2011 MASCA OFFICERS

MASCA

PRESIDENT CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6120 • Fax 617-628-8413 E-mail: cspangev@comcast.net PRESIDENT-ELECT MICHELLE BURKE 100 Sohier Road Beverly, MA 01915-2654 E-mail: mburke@beverlyschools.org PAST PRESIDENT CHRISTINE A. EVANS Randolph High School 70 Memorial Parkway, Randolph, MA 02368 Tel. 781-961-6220 x 545 • Fax 781-961-6235 E-mail: evansc@randolph.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY JACQUELINE BROWN East Somerville Community School 42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6517 • Fax 617-591-7906 E-mail: jbrown@k12.somerville.ma.us 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 Tel. 508-533-3228 x 5107 • Fax 508-533-3246 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 RUTH CARRIGAN Whitman-Hanson Regional High School 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382 Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098 E-mail: ruth.carrigan@whrsd.org VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES RALPH SENNOTT P.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886 Tel. 978-692-8244 E-mail: ralphsennott@hotmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA M. BROWN Adjunct Professor, UMass Boston P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street Bryantville, MA 02327 Tel. 781-293-2835 E-mail: dbrownmasca@gmail.com TREASURER TINA KARIDOYANES P.O. Box 1007, Monument Beach, MA 02553 Tel. 508-759-3986 E-mail: tkaridoyanes@gmail.com SECRETARY JENNIFER JUST McGUIRE Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Tel. 508-759-7711 x 247 • Fax 508-759-5455 E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: Deborah_Clemence@verizon.net COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SALLY ANN CONNOLLY 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

JANUARY 2011

January 2011

inside 5 6 8 10 11

MASCA Advocacy Committee Update By Bob Bardwell

Technology News By Joe Fitzgerald

Action Teams for Partnerships and Success By Sean C. Burke

MA MODEL MATTERS: Enhancing Services with Technology By Jason Gelmini, et al.

THE INTERN’S TALE: Goal-Setting with Students By Leah Barry

FOCUS ON STUDENT HEALTH: Concussions

People, Places, and Programs

Published by: Massachusetts School Counselors Association 10 issues per year, September through June. The yearly subscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00. 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. Questions concerning submission of articles, publication deadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed to Sally Ann Connolly, Editor.

www.masca.org

EVANS (continued from page 1) countered will not cease to be challenging and the unexpected demands on our time will not suddenly disappear, we can get back on track by taking time to think about where we are, where we want to go, and how we will get there. In our assessment we may discover that we accomplished more than we thought. Even if we did not do everything we had planned, it is likely that whatever we did do was of value and made a difference for our students. The most important part of making a New Year’s resolution is examining where we are and starting again, with new hope and new enthusiasm for what remains to be done. I love the idea that we get to begin again. It fills me with energy and excitement, and I can take a new perspective and see each part of yet-to-be-accomplished tasks as uncharted territory, waiting to be explored. This is true in our personal life, our professional life, and the life of our association as well. In August, MASCA kicked off the new year when the Governing Board attended the Leadership Training

Institute. We were ecstatic to have the Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester join us, and we were full of excitement for the coming year. We put together work plans, discussed new initiatives, and presented ideas for improving membership services, evaluating the MA Model, organizing the best conferences ever, and building on the momentum of the good work done by the Government Relations Committee. We headed into the fall season full steam ahead. As the school year got underway and our schedules starting bursting at the seams, finding time to attend committee meetings, make plans, write reports, etc. became more difficult. With the New Year comes the time to refresh our hopes and plans. MASCA has accomplished a good deal, but we still have a long way to go. As you think about the New Year, please think about how you can help the Governing Board and MASCA committees do what we do better. We need you. Your help is always welcome. Join us as we enter into 2011, and together we can begin again. ■

DONNA (continued from page 1) standing conferences. This year ASCA will hold its annual conference in Seattle from June 25-28. Much closer to home will be the MASCA 50th Anniversary Celebration in Danvers from April 10-12. Norm Gysbers will be the opening keynoter. Additionally, MASCA has sponsored several workshops on bullying this year and in the past has sponsored workshops on 504 implementation and legal and ethical topics for counselors. Many other organizations share PD offerings, and we post them on the website. 3. Resolve to become a school counseling advocate. February 7-11 is National School Counseling Week. ASCA has prepared great materials to help you get the word out. There are templates for proclamations and certificates as well as items to purchase like stickers, posters and bookmarks. On March 16, MASCA will sponsor a Day on the Hill which will give us the opportunity to learn about educational advocacy. At your own school, serve on committees and volunteer to work with your local association so that you can advocate for the school counselors in your district. Publicize your projects in the local paper. 4. Resolve to read more professional books, journals and magazines. There are lots of excellent publications out there. Professional School Counseling Journal and ASCA School Counselor magazine provide thought-provoking, informative articles. The first focuses on well-researched, scholarly material while the second shares useful, pragmatic strategies and practices. Both are included in your ASCA membership. If you haven’t read about some aspect of school counseling since grad school, now’s a good time to start. The ASCA bookstore is a great place to begin. There you will find many up-to-date books dealing with everything from resiliency to diversity. Most online booksellers have good school counseling sections. Additionally, ACT, ACTE, The College Board, and ASCD have well-researched articles and studies that you can download and read. These four possibilities are just that, possibilities. I hope you will consider making at least one of them a New Year’s resolution for 2011 because it will help you grow professionally and hone your skills to help your students. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA Advocacy Committee Update By BOB BARDWELL MASCA Advocacy Committee Chair session held on Saturday, November 20 at Universal Technical Institute in Norwood as part of the ASCA North Atlantic Regional meeting. The training was led by Lori Fresina from M + R Strategic Services. Lori is the advocacy consultant for MASCA, and she helps us strategize our legislative efforts. Ten MASCA members

attended the training. Their discussion focused on MASCA’s priorities for the 2011 legislative session. If anyone has suggestions to help shape MASCA’s priorities for the next legislative session, please contact me at bardwellr@monsonschools.com or 413267-4589 x1107. ■

BOB BARDWELL

he MASCA Advocacy Committee continues to be involved with the following projects: • HB 4933: The Bill will likely not be passed in this legislative session. We have been pushing for it to come out of the informal session, but the fact that it has been stalled for so long is not a good sign. If it does not pass, we will file the same bill again. • Members of the Advocacy Committee have participated in discussions regarding the Race to the Top program as it applies to the MA Model and careerand college-readiness. We hope to have additional updates for members soon. • We continue to seek representation on the state-wide bullying task force that is charged with overseeing the implementation of the bullying legislation. We will report to members when we have additional information as schools work to meet the reporting and implementation guidelines set forth in the legislation. • We have confirmed the focus and speakers for the March 16, 2011 annual Leadership Forum on Beacon Hill. The theme this year will be Career- and College-Readiness. Brian Law (ASCA President) and Keith Westrich (Career and College Readiness Coordinator for DESE) are confirmed. Greg Darnieder (Senior Advisor on the College Access Initiative at the U.S. DOE) has also been invited, and we hope that Governor Patrick will join us. • Over 70 school counseling leaders from Maine to Delaware participated in the school counselor advocacy training JANUARY 2011

Technology News By JOE FITZGERALD MASCA Technology Committee Chair

s the New Year begins, I am excited to report that MASCA is now able to manage its own membership. Although membership will still be done online, MASCA will not have to contract a third party, and we will thus be able to save the cost of this operation. A lot of hard work by Ron Miller, MASCA’s Technology Coordinator, and the MASCA lead-

ership has gone into achieving this. I strongly recommend that MASCA members go to the masca.org membership section and update their profile. Some members still have incomplete information, especially those who have changed their type of membership, place of employment, address, e-mail, etc. It would be a good idea for all members to

check their profiles to see if the information is accurate.

What’s hot on the website The MASCA website is definitely a great place to get information about our profession. Everyone is busy during the work year and using www.masca.org is an efficient way to get linked in to what is going on. Recently, I went to the website and found the following on the homepage: • A calendar of events for 2010-11 • MASCA 2011 Spring Conference and MASCA’s 50th Birthday Celebration* • A November and December bullying workshop in two areas of the state • An update of Race to the Top (RTTT) and the MA Model • Financial Aid Trainings for counselors • Vermont Colleges Guidance Counselor Bus Tour • Future professional development opportunities At the bottom of the homepage are links to articles on ADHD, a children’s bereavement program, RTTT, and Dr. Norman Gysbers, the keynote speaker at the 2011 Spring Conference. Tech learning opportunities The winter session of the SeniorNet Program is starting in January at the Brockton campus of Massasoit Community College. Interesting courses in technology are being offered. To get information, google SeniorNet at Massasoit Community College, and it will bring you to their site. Winter and spring courses range from fundamentals of computers and Windows 7 to digital photography. The courses range from one session ($10.00 fee) to six or seven sessions ($35.00). A handout is provided for the one-session classes and a comprehensive booklet is provided for the longer classes. A complete list of courses and an application can be found on their website. The Technology Committee hopes that you had a wonderful holiday and that you got at least one technology present. Have a healthy, productive, and happy new year! ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

ED’S VIEWS

“To promote harmony, understanding, and respect among people of different races by identifying and recognizing high school age students whose efforts have had a significant, positive effect on race relations in their schools or communities.”

ED BRYANT MASCA Life Trustee

For information and applications, go to: http://www.princeton.edu/pprize

ope your Thanksgiving and the holiday season were happy. On Thanksgiving we had all five families for our annual touch football game; then we split for turkey dinner. Fun. Fun. Now that the New Year is here, we need to review some past highlights for possible resolutions. For example, how can MASCA improve its relationship with affiliates? What does MASCA do for them? Provide funds, advice, online tools? If you have ideas on what you think MASCA should be doing, send them to the Governing Board. Another area that needs review is public relations. To my knowledge, our last publication on this topic was the excellent Public Relations for Guidance Counselors. Should it be updated and / or reissued for the many new counselors? What are our responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act with regard to college admissions? Or is this the responsibility of the colleges? Did you know that Harvard, MIT, and others offer free access to course materials? Check out the website, OpenCourseWare. Do you have any suggestions for our 50th Birthday Celebration Committee? Many are working hard to celebrate this memorable occasion. For me it is about the end of approximately 40 years of writing a monthly column (under different titles). I wish each of you a joyous New Year! Start 2011 ready and refreshed. ■

Honor a school counselor with a “Tribute.” Go to www.masca.org. JANUARY 2011

Action Teams for Partnerships and Success By SEAN C. BURKE Bourne High School

s a school counselor I am aware of how hard it is to develop partnerships with my students’ families and keep this parent / student / teacher relationship alive and well. Getting families, teachers, and school counselors all on the same cohesive team is very difficult to do, especially when trying to develop more of these teams beyond a few isolated cases. This is why developing a program(s) and collecting data on a cooperative partnership plan that promotes student learning would be helpful within my high school, and I am sure in many other schools. Through research and data collection, Epstein and Van Voorhis show that partnership programs are beneficial to student success.1 The overlying theme of their article in ASCA’s Professional School Counseling (October 2010) is that developing partnership programs with school counselors involved as leaders reduces the amount of serious academic and behavioral problems in schools.

Art Athletic Training Biology Business Management Chemistry Communication Computer Information Systems Compute Science Criminal Justice Economics Education English Environmental Science Ethnic and Gender Studies General Science History Liberal Studies Mathematics Movement Science Music Nursing Political Science Psychology Regional Planning Social Work Sociology Spanish Theatre Arts

School counselors often receive guidance from professional organizations like ASCA and MASCA that helps them prepare for leadership roles, but this support is often overshadowed by traditional and, sometimes, mundane school counseling activities like scheduling classes and administering tests. Working within the traditional school counselor role also has school counselors dealing with students on an individual basis too often. As a result, dealing with the students as a whole is done so inefficiently that it leaves too many students with unmet needs. Epstein and Van Voorhis describe the “overlapping sphere of influence” that works to help students, schools, the communities, and families. As a school counselor, I find that opening channels of communication between families and the school and working collaboratively as a team with as many supports as possible greatly helps kids learn, perform, and behave better.

I also agree with the authors that working proactively with specific sustainable programs is a much better and more efficient way to help our kids than waiting for individual struggles to pop up and then dealing with them in an “after the fact” or “band-aid” manner. Personally, I compare the preventative approach to working with a wellness, rather than a medical type, model. The theory and research in this article also shows that it is possible and beneficial for school counselors to take a leadership role in developing and maintaining programs of family and community involvement. In fact, the authors point out that research conducted through the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University was done to help school leaders learn how they can develop effective partnership programs. This work has produced some researchbased manuals and training materials for schools to use in developing their own custom programs.

Private quality. Public value. Discover more by visiting us online at wsc.ma.edu. Westfield State Office of Admission Post Office Box 1630 · Westfield, MA 01086 (413) 572-5218 · wsc.ma.edu COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Through longitudinal studies of several hundred schools, Epstein and Van Voorhis show how program development and student success in school are related. Answering the question of how to build school, family, and community partnerships was a bit more difficult. The researchers determined that good partnerships affect many different outcomes. The partnership programs that informed and involved families about attendance issues, for example, increased average daily attendance and reduced chronic absenteeism from one year to the next. Those programs that involved parents in activities focused on student behavior resulted in fewer disciplinary actions from one year to the next. Overall, the data showed that different types of involvement lead to specific but different kinds of results. Also indicated was that all partners, not just a

together as a team, rather than alone; and opening and maintaining lines of communication within a team is crucial. In my work I stress this open communication, and I dream of the day when a specific partnership program that incorporates advanced technology is developed in my own school district. Prevention/partnership programs work, and resources exist that would allow school counselors to start. I believe that one day I will be able to lead this type of work in my school district. By incorpo-

rating partnership programs that create a cooperative, supportive, and productive climate across all schools in a school district, we can all help our school staff, parents, and community members better teach and support our kids and help them become better 21st century learners. –––––––––––––––––––– 1

J.L. Epstein & F.L. Van Voorhis, “School Counselors’ Roles in Developing Partnerships with Families and Communities for Student Success,” ASCA Professional School Counseling, Vol. 14, No. 11 (October 2010), 1-14. ■

Partnerships with school counselors support students and promote their success.

teacher or a counselor who cares about students, have roles to play in both prevention and treatment interventions. ASCA continues to encourage school counselors to become leaders, advocates, and collaborators in schools and no longer just deliver services to individual students and families. Developing partnership programs can help achieve this goal. But in order to design, develop, and implement prevention programs, school counselors need allotted time to do so. One way to achieve this, the authors suggest, is to give school counselors one day per week to meet with leadership teams to work on prevention interventions to strengthen the school’s program of family and community involvement. Although approval of this recommendation may be difficult to achieve, any amount of meeting time set aside specifically to work with an Action Team for Partnership would be a start. Once the team was able to research and create data showing success in preventing serious academic, attitudinal, and behavioral problems that would require individual attention by counselors, more time could be requested. Expansion of smaller scale initiatives would then be possible. Students learn more when they work JANUARY 2011

MA MODEL MATTERS: Enhancing Services with Technology By JASON GELMINI, COLLEEN DEMERS, AMY DeVEUVE, and ALBERT MERCADO Milford High School

echnology can be used to improve the services that we as school guidance counselors provide, especially when it comes to implementing the MA Model. At Milford High School, the Guidance, Career and Academic Enhancement Office uses a variety of tools to support the four strands of the MA Model and, thereby, enhance our program effectiveness and efficiency.

Accountability Electronic pre- and post-test and electronic journaling are some features that we have adopted. Each guidance seminar has a pre- and post-test. Our seminars evolve around the Naviance-Family Connection Program. By using the survey tools in

Naviance, we are able to show our constituents how our program enriches student learning. Electronic journaling within our student management program allows us to track how we are spending our time and who we are spending it with. This gives the administration a better understanding of how our time is allocated. We are also able to aggregate our reports quickly and provide summative data reports with ease.

Management Systems Some simple tools help to manage how our time is being spent. One such tool is an electronic calendar such as in Outlook or Google. By maintaining an electronic calendar, co-workers can see a counselor’s

Stay informed For up-to-date information about the MA Model, Race to the Top, college fairs, conferences and more, go to www.masca.org . Once there, you can renew your membership. For your membership expiration date, check the mailing label affixed to your CN. – – – – – – – – – For information about celebrating National School Counseling Week in February, go to ASCA’s website, www.schoolcounselor.org.

calendar and not schedule meetings during a conflicting time. By using these tools, a record is created, which can be referred to or retrieved when needed.

Delivery System Technology is useful for communicating with students. We use e-mail as a fast and easy way to send quick reminders and messages to individuals or groups of students. Our district also subscribes to the Alert Now Phone System, which allows us to readily send mass e-mail and voicemail messages with regard to announcements and seminars that come from our office. Another tool that our ELL counselor uses to communicate with the ELL students is Alta Vista – Babel Fish. This free online tool allows the counselor and student to communicate simple sentences back and forth. For more complicated information, we have access to a translation service. The counselor has access to interpreters for over 50 different languages within 30 seconds. This allows her to communicate with our Arabic and Mandarin Chinese students with ease for a small fee ($1.45/minute). Collaboration Partnering with our student management program, we now have multiple reports and letters that support the MA Model. Some examples are warning letters, failure notices, honor roll notification, attendance reports, transcript audits, and graduation requirement reports. These tools allow us to assess our program. Since today’s students are so hooked into social media and technology, it is natural to incorporate many forms of technology into the delivery of our guidance services and the implementation of the MA Model. We have received positive feedback on our use of technology from both parents and students. For us, technology has provided more effective pathways to reach all stakeholders and impart specific information. Therefore, don’t be afraid to challenge the notion and find out if there a smarter way to do things by incorporating technology. The results, for us, have been worthwhile. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

THE INTERN’S TALE: Goal-Setting with Students By LEAH BARRY Master’s Student in School Counseling, Bridgewater State University “What makes the great players in this league great is that they are willing to do the simple things over and over again,” said Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics. As an educator and future counselor, one of my priorities is to help students define their own success and reach their potential. A good way to do this, I have found, is through goal-setting. I have used the following goal-setting lessons with students in an “In danger of failing” meeting, in my math classroom, and with a general population of seventh graders. I start by providing students with the following advice about goal setting: • Be specific when creating goals and strategies. • Give yourself a timeline (e.g., I will do _____ for the next week). • Remember to take small steps. Small, concrete goals help you reach larger, long-term goals. • It takes determination and motivation to reach your goals. • Use your resources for help: parents/

JANUARY 2011

guardians, teachers, guidance counselors…. However, • You are the only person who can ensure success for you. Next, we talk about the difference between short-term and long-term goals and how short-term goals can help one reach long-term goals. Then, I introduce the idea that one should not create a goal without a strategy to reach it. The strategy is the “how.” In order to emphasize the importance of this step, I have the students use a template that lists in the left column: (1) Short-term school goal, (2) Long-term school goal, (3) Extracurricular goal, and (4) Personal growth goal. In the right-hand column, the students list the strategies that they plan to use in order to reach that goal. In this step, I talk about the importance of being specific. For instance, if the goal is “to do all of my math homework for the next week,” the strategy should not be “to do all of my math homework for the next week.” Instead,

the strategy should be something like, “I will write down all of my assignments in my assignment notebook and use my study time productively each day.” I encourage students to make goals for different aspects of their lives. I have found that the template is a useful tool that keeps them more engaged and excited about the process. My final step in the process is to have students reflect on how their goals are going by answering questions such as “Have you made progress in accomplishing your long term goal? Is your strategy helping? Are there additional strategies you can use?” I try to make this happen approximately three weeks after the goalsetting session. Based on student responses to the follow-up questions, I will schedule individual meetings as necessary. In an ideal world, a counselor would meet with all students individually. However, if you don’t live in that ideal world, this is a good way to reach a large number of students. ■

Northern Essex Community College hosts Northeast counselors

FOCUS ON STUDENT HEALTH Three million sports-related concussions occur in the United States each year. — Centers for Disease Control

Northeast Counselors Association held its November meeting at Northern Essex Community College. Shown (from left) are Assistant Dean of Health Professions Patricia Demers, Lab Science Program Coordinator Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, NECA President Kathy Scott, and Director of Admissions Charles Diggs.

Northern Essex partners with high schools

r. Noemi Custodia-Lora, Coordinator Laboratory Sciences Program & Associate Professor Natural Sciences at Northern Essex Community College, says that its Laboratory Science program seeks to increase the number of students entering a STEM program, especially the program available at the college. The Lab Science program at NECC has been supported in part by an ATE (Advanced Technological Education) National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Since 2009, Northern Essex has been developing collaborations and disseminating the Lab program with regional high schools. “The dissemination model,” Custodia-Lora says, “includes two types of activities: (1) visiting regional high schools to meet students and faculty to talk about our program (of course no visit can successful without the pizza we bring for the students), and (2) providing an outreach day where science teachers bring their students to spend half a day in our Lab Science Program doing experiments.”

Depending on the science level the visiting students do, experiments are as simple as extracting DNA to more complex operations, where students learn the basics of the college’s new high-performance liquid chromatography or gas chromatography system. Further, she says, “We understand that coordinating a lab visit is time consuming for the teachers. Thus, we compensate them with a $250 stipend for every time they bring students to the college. Also, we provide them with a $500 voucher (for lab supplies) to the school; our way to help to support the sciences back in the classrooms. Because the grant money is limited, it is given to schools on the ‘first come, first serve’ basis.” Custodia-Lora says that the goal with all these activities is to increase the number of high school students entering the Lab Sciences Program. This would lead to further collaboration with high schools as well as more stipends and more vouchers. It is, she says, “a win-win situation.” ■

AAN recommends removal from play after concussion injuries ST. PAUL, Minn., November 2, 2010 – The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is calling for any athlete who is suspected of having a concussion to be removed from play until the athlete is evaluated by a physician with training in the evaluation and management of sports concussion. The request is one of five recommendations from a new position statement approved by the AAN’s Board of Directors that targets policymakers with authority over determining the policy procedures for when an athlete suffers from concussion while participating in a sporting activity. “While the majority of concussions are self-limited injuries, catastrophic results can occur and we do not yet know the long-term effects of multiple concussions,” said Jeffrey Kutcher, MD, MPH, chair of the AAN’s Sports Neurology Section, which drafted the position statement. “We owe it to athletes to advocate for policy measures that promote high quality, safe care for those participating in contact sports.” According to the new AAN position statement, no athlete should be allowed to participate in sports if he or she is still experiencing symptoms from a concussion, and a neurologist or physician with proper training should be consulted prior to clearing the athlete for return to participation. In addition, the AAN recommends a certified athletic trainer be present at all sporting events, including practices, where athletes are at risk for concussion. Education efforts should also be maximized to improving the understanding of sports concussion by all athletes, parents and coaches. “We need to make sure coaches, trainers, and even parents, are properly educated on this issue, and that the right steps have been taken before an athlete returns to the field,” said Kutcher. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2011

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PROGRAMS Judy Josephs honored

JUDY JOSEPHS On Saturday, November 20, 2010, 250 people attended the Hall of Fame Banquet in Lynn, which honored Lynn Vocational Technical Alumni Association Hall of Fame inductees. Based upon her contributions to counseling and technical education, Dr. Judith Josephs was among

those honored. Josephs has worked at Lynn Vocational Tech Institute for thirty-eight years. As Cooperative Education Counselor / Director, she was the school’s first female administrator. Josephs has a Doctor of Education degree from Nova Southeastern University and Juris Doctor (JD) from Suffolk University Law School. She also serves as a Counselor Educator, currently teaching at Salem State University in the Graduate Education Counseling Department. She has also served as Adjunct Professor at Fitchburg State University in the field of Occupational Education. She produced and anchored a show for cable television entitled “Learning for Life.” On the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association at Salem State University, Josephs helped to initiate the Lynn Vocational Technical Alumni Association. She has also conducted workshops throughout the state and was named Toastmasters Communication and Leadership Gold Award Winner. Since her retirement, Josephs has awarded an annual scholarship to a graduating Lynn Tech student.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Leadership Forum on Beacon Hill March 16, 2011 _____________

MASCA Spring Conference and 50th Birthday Celebration April 10-12, 2011 Exhibit Hall • Events • Concurrent Workshops Receptions • Awards Sunday Welcome Keynoter: Dr. Norm Gysbers

College Goal Sunday planned BOSTON — College-bound students and their parents can receive free assistance in filing the federal financial aid application on College Goal Sunday, January 30, 2:00-4:00 p.m. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to receive many types of federal, state, and private financial aid, and it must be completed by college deadlines, some as early as February 1. Massachusetts College Goal Sunday will provide information on college financial aid and free on-site help to complete the FAFSA. Volunteer financial aid and higher education experts will offer information on the many viable post-high school options. Locations of the event are listed at www. MassCollegeGoalSunday.org. Attendees should bring • A FAFSA Personal Identification Number, available at www.pin.ed.gov, to be used to electronically file the form • Most recent tax returns • Social Security number • Driver’s license • 2009 W-2 • 2009 untaxed income records • 2009 bank statement • 2009 business and investment records • Alien registration card for nonU.S. citizens.

MRA sponsors scholarship The Massachusetts Restaurant Association continues to receive generous donations from its members, which allow the awarding of scholarships up to $2000 to Massachusetts students accepted to or enrolled in a restaurant or foodservice postsecondary program. In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association has awarded over $643,000 in scholarships to 283 high school and undergrad students in Massachusetts. Eligible students include high school seniors, high school graduates, college undergraduates, and GED certificate holders planning to attend or who already attend a restaurant / foodservice postsecondary accredited program during the academic year 2011-2012. For more information about eligibility requirements or an application, go to www.marestaurantassoc.org or call the MRA Educational Foundation at 508303-9985. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JANUARY 2011

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

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: ..........................................

NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 96

NAME

.......................................... ADDRESS

.......................................... STATE

CITY

ZIP CODE

Send this form to: Deborah Clemence P.O. Box 805 East Dennis, MA 02641

YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE IS INDICATED BY YEAR AND MONTH ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ABOVE. To renew your membership, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

Honor Your School Counselor “Tributes” A MASCA 50th Birthday Promotion 50

YEARS

1961

2011

MASCA Birthday Reception Monday, April 11, 2011 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

2011

YEARS

1961

Did a school counselor encourage you to accomplish your goals and follow your dreams? Did a school counselor you know make a positive difference in the lives of students? Do you want to express your appreciation to that counselor? Here is your chance to pay tribute. Sign up and post your tribute at www.masca.org. Tributes will be posted on the website, and nominees will be invited to attend the MASCA 50th Birthday Reception, where they will be honored with a Certificate of Recognition. Submissions are welcome from all residents, school systems, MASCA affiliates, students, past graduates, families, administrators, and others. To get started, click on the 50th Birthday School Counseling Tributes link on the homepage. Price per tribute: $50

For more information, e-mail tributes@masca.org.