Counselor's Notebook June 2012

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

Graduate Students Shine This Spring

VOL. 48, NO. 10

JUNE 2012

MASCA Award Winners 2012

By THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Counselor Education Bridgewater State University

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n Sunday, April 29, at the Annual Spring MASCA conference, graduate students from across the Commonwealth came together to participate in a series of events created specifically for those working on their professional training, degree, and /or license in school guidance counseling.

The spring conference has traditionally been a wonderful forum for practitioners to receive professional development and to network and reconnect with colleagues from across the state. In the past three years, specifically, many efforts have been made to transform the services provided to our graduate student membership in order to make this is a valuable experience for them as well. Students are taking advantage of the opportunities to excel, and they are shining!

Poster Presentation Sessions Every spring conference we have one day dedicated to graduate student events.

One such event is the Graduate Student Poster Presentations. The presentations process models what practitioners experience at state, national, and international conferences. A formal call for proposals is made with specific deadlines; proposals are reviewed, and decisions are made for accepts and alternates.

In the past two years, the number of quality applicants has increased to the point where we do not have the space to accommodate all proposals. To solve this problem, we held two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Even with the additional sessions, however, the pool of proposals was competitive. (continued on page 4)

From left: Ron Miller, Kathleen Conlon, Christine Soverow, Johanna Smith, and Shannon Doran.

MASCA AWARDS 2011- 2012 Counselor of the Year Christine Soverow, Easthampton High School

Torch Award: Rising Star Kathleen Conlon, JFK Middle School, Springfield

Torch Award: Rising Star Johanna Smith, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute

George Thompson Memorial Scholarship Award Shannon Doran, UMass Amherst

Presidential Award Ron Miller

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

THE DEADLY TAN: May the war on tanning beds rage 2011 – 2012 OFFICERS PRESIDENT MICHELLE BURKE Beverly High School 100 Sohier Road Beverly, MA 01915-2654 Tel. 978-921-6132 x 11107 E-mail: mburke@beverlyschools.org PAST PRESIDENT CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6120 • Fax 617-628-8413 E-mail: crichards@k12.somerville.MA.US PRESIDENT-ELECT 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 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 ALBERT MERCADO Stacy Middle School 66 School Street, Milford, MA 01757 Tel. 508-478-1181 • Fax 508-634-2370 E-mail: amercado@milfordma.com VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY TBA VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JOHN MARCUS Dean College 99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jmarcus@dean.edu

Re “End the war on sun” by Jennifer Graham (Op-ed, April 21): The war on sun — and tanning beds in particular — has just begun. At least I hope so. A study published this year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concluded that tanning bed use increases the incidence of cancer. Looking at 73,494 nurses from 1989 to 2009, researchers said, “Our data provide evidence for a dose-response relationship between tanning bed use and the risk of skin cancers, especially [basal cell carcinoma], and the association is stronger for patients with a younger age at exposure.”

Almost all of us have been touched by cancer, personally or through our relationships.

Cancer, some polls show, is our greatest fear. Fortunately, we can make lifestyle changes to lessen the likelihood of becoming victims of some cancers, such as skin cancer.

We must continue to educate our young people about beneficial and harmful doses of sunlight. And if we are serious about promoting health, we should ban tanning salons altogether.

Sally Ann Connolly, Danvers — Reprinted from Letters to the Editor I Letter I The Deadly Tan, The Boston Globe, April 28, 2012, A10.

Skin Cancer Facts • Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, causing nearly half of the cancers in the United States.

• There are three common forms of skin cancer: basal cell and squamous cell (non-melanomas) and melanoma.

• Most non-melanoma cancers occur on sun-exposed areas.

• Number of cases each year in the United States: non-melanoma, 2 million; melanoma, 75,000.

• Melanoma is the most serious form.

• Deaths due each year to: all forms of skin cancer, 12,000; melanoma, 9,000.

• Early detection and treatment are essential.

— Information provided by the American Cancer Society (2012) I

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: browndonnamarie@gmail.com TREASURER ASHLEY CARON 25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072 Tel. 508-212-0676 E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.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: membership@masca.org 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

JUNE 2012

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July 10-11, 2012 (Tuesday-Wednesday)

MA Model Implementation Institute 2012 Dean College

October 22, 2012 (Monday)

RTTT Fall 2012 College and Career Summit Boxboro

October 23, 2012 (Tuesday)

MASCA Fall Conference Boxboro

April 7-9, 2013 (Sunday-Tuesday)

MASCA Annual Spring Conference Hyannis

COOGAN (continued from page 1) In addition to the poster sessions, we held panels geared specifically to graduate student membership. One panel was comprised of guidance directors, who discussed the job outlook in Massachusetts and offered strategies for the job search process and the job interview. An additional panel centered on strategies for transitioning into the first year of work as a school counselor.

April 9, 2013 (Tuesday)

RTTT Spring 2013 College and Career Summit Hyannis

Planning for the future

SAVE THE DATES

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MASCA plans to continue these efforts in future conferences, and we are open to hearing from our graduate student membership about possible topics.

Graduate Students: Please consider becoming part of the Annual Spring MASCA Conference next year. It is a wonderful event where you get to meet and network with other graduate students from across the Commonwealth as well as practitioners in the field. There are also many professional development opportunities for you through the workshops and sessions.

This opportunity is open to graduate students at every stage of training. Although the primary graduate student events are commonly held on the first day of the conference (Sunday), you are welcome to stay and join us for additional days. Whether you submit a proposal for the Graduate Student Poster Presentation Session or come as an attendee, this is a great experience to put on a resume and a great way to get involved in the school counseling community.

If you are able and willing to give more to MASCA, several committees invite your participation. Contact President-Elect Jennifer Lisk for more information.

Mark your calendars now for January 2013, when detailed information about the call for poster presentation proposals will be posted on MASCA’s website. Topics can be based on a research project or formal paper that you have completed in one of your classes. In order to participate in the poster session, you must be a member of MASCA. The cost of graduate student membership is minimal, so consider becoming a member and receive membership benefits now. To sign up, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

Join us on April 6-8, 2013, as we return to Hyannis for our Spring MASCA Conference. I COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

THE INTERN’S TALE: Preventing Bullying in School

By ELAINE KRACOV Master’s Student in School Counseling, Bridgewater State University

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n 2010, Massachusetts was touted as passing probably the most comprehensive anti-bullying law in the country.

The Massachusetts bill requires teachers and other school staff to report bullying to the principal or another administrator picked to handle reports when they see or become aware of it. It mandates training for teachers and staff, every year, on prevention and intervention. It calls for instruction on heading off bullying for students in every grade level as part of the curriculum.

Since the time of this bill passing I have interned in two different school districts: one at the middle school level and one at the high school level. Both have adopted the PeaceBuilders program for their districts. PeaceBuilders is a science-based, research-validated, violence prevention curriculum and professional development program for grades pre-K to 12. Its essence is a common language—six principles, taught, modeled, and practiced. These same principles set behavioral expectations, reduce aggression, and transform the climate and culture of any environment to one which is cooperative, productive, and academically successful.

After compiling positive results gleaned from pre- and post-survey data collected from a particular PeaceBuilders lesson implemented in the classroom for students one day, I read the comments made by students regarding two questions that were given to them as a lesson activity.

Although not part of the pre/post results requested by my supervisor, it was important for me to both discover and share with you what the high school students had to say about online vs. in person confrontations.

The majority (88%) of participating students chose an in person over an online option to settle an argument. The majority (71%) chose the online over an in person option as easier for confrontations. In summary, the survey said: an online option to confrontation is easier for students because it provides a physical, mental, and emotional safety net.

The in person option to confrontation, for JUNE 2012

the most part, allows for authenticity, intimacy, clarity, maturity, and responsibility in the student’s relationships with peers.

The students’ responses are promising.

I see evidence that the majority of our high school students are on the right developmental track. The lessons they are learning are the same ones we continue to

learn on different levels as adults. Despite the social media craze, our youth do understand the value of face-to-face interactions with others.

Will bullying ever end? Probably not, but as adults involved in pedagogical efforts, we have a responsibility to overcome any indifference to it. I

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ADVOCACY UPDATE Progress in Anti-Bullying Legislation

By NICOLE MURPHY

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alcolm Smith, Ph.D.—Family Education and Policy Specialist for the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension — is one of the many advocates who helped pass anti-bullying legislation in New Hampshire in 2010.

He says: “After many years of research, we have learned that bullying in our schools and in our society is a much more damaging and dangerous experience for children than we ever suspected. Unfortunately, it’s much more widespread and is occurring at an earlier age than ever before. We’ve also learned that bullying has many serious consequences for the children who are bullied, for the bullies themselves, and for the bystanders who witness it.”

Currently, there is no federal law that prohibits bullying in schools. Two federal pieces of legislation, however, have been proposed: The Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and The Student Nondiscrimination Act (SNDA). Both laws would require school districts to implement and report on anti-bullying programs (including cyberbullying). Those programs would also require identification of characteristics such as sexual orientation and gender identity.

Traditionally, such educational issues are the domain of the states, and in 2010, Massachusetts took the initiative to become one of 46 states to pass anti-bullying legislation.

The original K-12 anti-bullying legislation in Massachusetts did not include school counselors. Fortunately, Gail Okerman, Sharon Greenholt, and Bob Bardwell advocated with DESE on behalf of MASCA for counselors to have a “seat at the table” in order to address the perspective on the profession and students we serve.

By the time the bill passed out of the Joint Committee on Education for consideration by both Houses, Gail, Sharon, and Bob were involved in conversation with Anne Gilligan of DESE about the anti-bullying legislation and the degree to which school counselors are positioned and skilled to address this issue in schools.

Gail and Sharon were also involved in brainstorming sessions with DESE about

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Guidance on Implementing SEL Curricula K-12, so that social-emotional skill sets would be taught in schools to prevent relational aggression.

Concern over the bullying of vulnerable populations, especially LGBT youth, has become more apparent in recent years.

This hit close to home when an 11-yearold Springfield student hanged himself in 2009 after enduring daily taunts about being gay.

The U.S. Department of Education has released a report summarizing antibullying legislation at the state level. It examines the differences in state laws and shows that some are far more comprehensive in how they define bullying.

Increased awareness has resulted in many states amending their anti-bullying statutes to include specific definitions of bullying. Of the six New England states, Vermont was the first to include an enumerated definition of bullying in its legislation. In 2011, both Connecticut and Rhode Island passed amendments to include more comprehensive definitions.

Alison Gil, public policy manager for the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, a national advocacy organization, says: “The majority of state model policies were enumerated, even in states without enumerated anti-bullying laws, showing that state education officials consider this a critical component, removed from the context of political debate.”

Summary of House Bill 3584, Current Amendment to Massachusetts 2010 Anti-Bullying Legislation As part of the Massachusetts original antibullying legislation, the Legislature established an oversight commission chaired

by Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Recommendations from the committee became HB 3584. At the end of April, the bill was still making its way through the state legislature. Its passage would amend Massachusetts current law and require: • Schools to make explicit in school anti-bullying plans that certain enumerated categories of students are particularly vulnerable to bullying and harassment.

• School districts to annually report

bullying incidents data to the DESE. DESE must then compile the data and publish an annual report submitted to the Attorney General and the state legislature.

• DESE to develop a student survey to assess the prevalence, nature, and severity of bullying in schools, which each school district must administer at least once every five years.

• Each school to identify a school official responsible for receiving reports of bullying to collect the data and forwarding them to DESE. • DESE to analyze the data from each district in order to identify long-term trends and areas of improvement and to monitor bullying prevention efforts in schools over time.

Although our roles and responsibilities as school counselors may vary from school to school, all of us play an integral part in preventing and addressing bullying incidents in our schools. As advocates for our students, our voices must be heard, not just within our schools but within the state legislature.

Please visit the MASCA website today at www.masca.org for an update on this bill and others relevant to school counseling. A call or e-mail to lawmakers about changes that you believe in can have a significant impact on the well-being and success of students in our schools.

--------------With contributions by Gail Okerman and Shannon Doran I

Help Stop Bullying The StopBullying.gov editorial board

has introduced a revitalized www. stopbullying.gov site. Building on the momentum started a year ago by the Obama administration and relaunched in partnership with the Department of Education, Stop Bullying.gov provides action steps individuals can take to prevent and stop bullying in their schools and communities.

— ASCA, ASCA Aspects, www.schoolcounselor.org/

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

JUNE 2012

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

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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.

MASCA Advocacy Committee seeks volunteers

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ew committee members or shortterm volunteers are needed so that the Advocacy Committee can fulfill its mission. Projects include: • Planning the annual advocacy event at the State House,

MASCA Thanks Its Supporters MASCA greatly appreciates the colleges and organizations that advertise in the Counselor’s Notebook. With their support, MASCA keeps school counselors informed and up to date. Thank you: Assumption College Institute for School Counseling Bay Path College Bay State College

• Tracking bills relevant to the field,

Curry College

• Keeping MASCA membership informed,

Dean College

• Organizing e-mail and call campaigns to legislators, • Organizing speakers for legislative hearings, • Organizing and/or providing written and oral testimony at legislative hearings, • Staffing the Advocacy Table at MASCA conferences.

Involvement in the Advocacy Committee is an exciting way to gain insight into cutting-edge educational issues and influence proposed legislation in support of students in your town and across the state. Essentially, the goal is to create a communication network among MASCA members so that we can join in the conversation at the legislative level as well.

All are welcome.

If you are interested, please write ShannonDonanEdu@gmail.com. I

Fisher College Framingham State University Hofstra University Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts New England Kurn Hattin Homes New England Institute of Technology Rivier College Southern New Hampshire University Stonehill College Stony Brook University UMass Boston University of Maine University of New England Universal Technical Institute Westfield State University