Counseling

from page 1

South St. Paul Secondary Assistant Principal Angie Ryter. “Learning about yourself and learning academic, planning and goal-setting skills are really integral parts of being a successful human being, so we build them right into the classroom.”

The district is taking advantage of Xello, an online program that offers lessons tailored to each grade. Middle school students will have lessons on topics such as bullying prevention and stress management, and high school students will have lessons primarily related to college and career

Job Fair

from page 1 of South St. Paul, visit governmentjobs.com/careers/ sspmn.

South St. Paul Public Schools also has a variety of positions available. The dis- readiness. Students will also use Xello to take assessments to determine their interests, strengths and career options, and to access tools to prepare for the ACT and SAT tests, track college applications and more. Previously, the district used a similar program called Pathful Explore but it switched to Xello because it has more resources for career exploration.

The new curriculum isn’t the only way the district has supported students in recent years. In 2017, it was the first district in the nation to adopt the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) trict is seeking lunchroom supervisors, part-time building cleaners, custodians, maintenance workers, classroom assistants and clerical support workers, substitute teachers and nurses. Employees who work 30 or more hours a week are eligible program, which focuses on building relationships with students to help better understand where they need support to succeed. It was initially implemented for first-year high school students, then expanded to all grades in the secondary school in 2020. It was added to the elementary schools last fall.

School teachers give BARR lessons on social and emotional topics and also meet weekly to identify students who are struggling with their grades, attendance, or are experiencing a change in behavior. When needed, they refer students to a counselor who will intervene and meet with the student one-on-one. The for benefits. Work hours are typically during school hours. Open positions and applications can be found at sspps.org/departments/ hr. For more information, call the department at 651457-9409 or email human. resources@sspps.org. schools’ BARR coordinator may also complete a risk review in cases where a student may be at risk of harming themselves or another person. In those cases, they may connect with families and reach out to social services agencies. Since its implementation, the graduation rate at the secondary school has increased 6.4%, and last year the percentage of ninth graders who failed one or more classes decreased 22.5%.

Currently, the district’s small but dedicated team of counselors have a lot on their plate. There is one full time counselor at each elementary school and one part time counselor who splits her time at each, and two full time counselors at both the middle and high school. The American Association for Counselors recommends one counselor per 250 students. In South St. Paul, most counselors assist around 400.

The role of school counselors has changed significantly in the past decade in South St. Paul and nationwide. When the parents of today’s students were in school, counselors were referred to as guidance counselors and primarily responded to student issues as they arose. Today, school counselors must hold a masters degree and they play a much more active role in supporting the social, emotional and academic needs of students.

At the elementary schools in the district, counselors aim to enter classrooms weekly to help students learn ways to deal with conflict resolution, identifying emotions and more.

“We have a slogan, ‘better together,’ and I think that’s been really important to us,” said South St. Paul Middle School Counselor James Bierma. “We’re all working together to better serve them [students]… We counselors call it the four-legged chair. It’s how the student, family members, teachers and counselor all work together to make sure the student is having a positive school experience. I think that’s gone really well here.”

Tax Help Needed

HANDYMAN

HANDYMAN

MR. LARRY FOR HIRE

I do painting, repairs & cleaning of homes and apartments

MOHS TAX SERVICE, 1771 Ford Parkway, St. Paul, is hiring for the upcoming tax season.

Window Washing Gutter Cleaning and Repairs

Insured 651-399-4304

MR. LARRY FOR HIRE

I do painting, repairs & cleaning of homes and apartments

Window Washing Gutter Cleaning and Repairs

Insured 651-399-4304

Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack

Now booking interior jobs

Opportunities

Employment

Rogers Masonry

Since 1976 651-224-6985 www.rogers-masonry.com

Quality brickwork & tuck pointing of buildings, stone foundations and chimneys licensed, bonded, insured

Please join us for prayer and reflection on this most sacred weekend.

Contributors: Lois Glewwe Roger Fuller

Copy Editor: Leslie Martin

Staff Writers: Jake Spitzack John E. Ahlstrom

Delivery: Independent Delivery Service or visit www.stpaulcityschool.org St. Paul City School 215 University Ave. W., St. Paul

Cross, p.m., followed by Celebration of the Lord's Passion from page 1 employees. He has already met with Elfering to learn about the city’s current projects, including the Concord Street reconstruction project and installation of a new watermain crossing under I-494. The city has several other projects in the pipeline as well and Guilliams will work to secure funding for them.

Holy Saturday - April 8 Easter Vigil, 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday - April 9 Mass at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

“Short term, my goal is to work hard to get up to speed with projects currently going on and make sure those get completed, and developing relationships with staff that work under me, and also other department heads, the city administrator, and the city council,” said Guilliams. “Long term, my goal is to implement the council’s goals and the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan), and make sure we’re providing excellent customer service to the community.”

Before joining the city, Guilliams worked as senior project manager for WSB

& Associates for eight years. In that position, he was city engineer for the city of Afton for three years, assistant city engineer for Mahtomedi for five years and city engineer for Lonsdale for 18 months. He is a California native and received a bachelor’s in civil engineering from California

Student Notes

The State University of New York at Potsdam president’s list: Alexis Ritter

The College of St. Scholastica Duluth dean’s list: Amber Feig and April Terlinde

Library events

Winter Reads, through February 28. Read books of your choice then write a brief review to be used as an entry in a weekly prize drawing.

Book Club , 7-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9. The title is “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/SSPbookclub.

Book Bingo, 7-8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6. This event offers the chance to win free books and DVDs. Snacks provided.

Colorful Pet Portraits, 6:30-8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27. Create a portrait of your pet using colored pencils and chalk pastel. Bring a photo of your pet. Registration required. Geared toward

State University-Fullerton. He and his wife, a Minnesota native, relocated to Minnesota in 2015 to start their family. Guilliams’ first job in Minnesota was with the City of South St. Paul, where he worked in the engineering department for seven months. From there, he went to the Met Council, and then to WSB. In total, he has about 21 years of experience in engineering.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to get back into the public sector where I’ve spent a large portion of my adults. To register, visit www. southstpaul.org/library or call 651-554-3243

Neighbors, Inc. seeks director

After nearly six years on the job, Charlie Thompson has resigned as president and CEO of Neighbors, Inc., the South St. Paul-based nonprofit that recently wrapped up a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary. He accepted a position as executive director with the nonprofit Fishline in Pouls- career,” said Guilliams. “I enjoyed the public sector and, frankly, being able to make more of a difference as a city engineer as opposed to as a consultant. South St. Paul checked a lot of boxes I was looking for. The city has exciting projects on the horizon. It’s an older community with some older infrastructure and plenty of opportunities to improve city infrastructure, and I will have the chance to really make a positive difference in the community.” bo, Wash. Prior to joining Neighbors in April 2017, Thompson was executive director of St. Vincent de Paul in Tacoma, Wash. The Neighbors board of directors will begin the search for his successor in the coming months.

Meeting dates

The South St. Paul City Council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month in the council chambers at City Hall, 125 3rd Ave. N. For agendas and city council member contact information, visit www. southstpaul.org or call 651554-3284.

The Special School District 6 School Board meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month. For agendas and school board member contact information, visit www. sspps.org or call 651-4579400.

The South St. Paul Lions Club meets at 7:15 p.m. the first and third Thursday of the month (SeptemberMay). For more information, visit https://ssplions.org.