Guidance Counselors Reflect on School Year

With approximately one week until graduation, another class will set sail for its next big journey. Five people in particular, who assisted and led the students, spoke at Wednesday’s school board education meeting.

Guidance counselors Vicky Cunningham, Gloria Laux, Heather (Bomba) Prinsen, Jeff Sudol and Heather Wawrzeniak shared a year in review.

The office has a mission to be student-centered, proactive and promote a partnership with parents, Sudol said.

He also said 1,120 students were surveyed this year.

“89 percent of students felt that their needs were met effectively,” he said. “30 percent of students met with their counselor three or more times this year.”

According to Sudol, 12 percent requested more one-on-one time and 72 percent felt the office was a good resource for course selection.

To increase their tech savviness, the office staff started using web apps and Twitter as another way to reach students. Sudol said 42 percent of students used those tools, which the office is evaluating to decipher the best form of communication.

In the fall, a Student Needs Based survey will be conducted to allow the counselors to tailor their services to the students' needs.

“It will also give us a chance to convey all of the services we offer,” Sudol said.

Laux said more than 1,700 transcripts were sent from the PTHS guidance office during the 2011-12 school year. She also said the guidance team has broken down its meetings into smaller groups of students, allowing for closer interaction to learn the students' skills, abilities and aptitudes.

Cunningham said the office has created an action plan focused on juniors known as PIP, or post-secondary individual planning.

She said 97 percent of juniors participated in the brainstorming session that occurred with parents over lunch during school hours. She said many of the students came prepared, having filled out a worksheet about the focus they may take after high school.

Recommendation letters were prepared and the counselors were able to learn personalities.

For sophomores, Laux said focus sessions of 20 students were created. The students could ask themselves, “What are my skills?” It also gave them an opportunity to develop their own identity, she said. 

For freshman, it was 15 students in a focus group, which was centered on introducing elements of the graduation project as well as using the Career Cruising software.

Sudol thanked high school principals Lori Pavlik, Emily Sanders and Christian Lesnett for “autonomy, constructive criticism and support."

“They are always there to talk to,” he said. “It means a lot on a personal level."

The counselors commended both teams on coming together, and Dr. Patricia Kardambikis, the district's assistant to the superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment.

The office is preparing to apply for a RAMP award in October.

For more information on the PTHS guidance office, visit its website and follow its updates on Twitter: @PTHSCounseling.

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