Spartan Counselors are ready to help students in many aspects of school and home life.
Two of TJ's Counselors - Stephanie Stone and Erin Thompson - work hard to keep all students on track. Photo by Ed Gloor
This year at TJ the counselors are showing off their commitment to TJ , offering their assistance to students and maintaining an open-door policy in their offices throughout the day.
Counselors Dawn Catalano, Stephanie Stone, and Erin Thompson can be found in the counseling department across from the main office. All have collaborated along with college Counselor Tabitha Rocha to focus on making sure all students are on the right track, heading towards graduation. The students have been broken into groups, giving the counselors an opportunity to expand their acquaintances with students. Seniors T-Z and all juniors are assigned to Catalano, seniors A-G and all sophomores are assigned to Stone, seniors H-S and all freshmen are assigned to Thompson.
“We [the counselors] are making more of an effort to make sure we talk to all students. Students should know we are here to help them whenever they are in need, and that we are here for more than just schedule changes,” said Thompson. All counselors are working with seniors in and outside of class to ensure they will be walking across the stage on graduation day. The counselors are helping seniors to complete senior contracts, college applications and essays, setting up college visits, and creating Naviance accounts online. Naviance is a college preparation website that can help students find needed information on colleges and scholarships. Rocha is also working closely with seniors and is available in the Future Center located down the hall from the main office.
The Future Center is available mainly for seniors to use as a resource for completing college applications in a thorough and timely manner. “Students can get help from me when applying to colleges. I can help make essay suggestions and find scholarships that apply to them,” said Rocha. The Center is equipped with computers and information on colleges all around the world.
“We are focusing on helping students realize how much these high school years impact their college admissions. We are here to assist them to have academic success,” said Catalano. Right now counselors would like any seniors who need to complete a senior contract to see them soon. Students should also sign up for the upcoming college fairs. For more information see Rocha in the Future Center.
There is a common hope among the counselors that students will look back on their high school careers and remember the counselors as those who guided and helped them. Students in need of help with academics or personal situations can go to their counselor at anytime for help. For more information visit http://www.counseling.tjjournal.com/.
