counselor's notebook, december 2009

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION DECEMBER 2009VOL. 46, NO. 4

MASCA

It’s True: Love Is the Answer

CHRISTINE EVANSMASCA President

H ave you ever thought about howmany times we use expressions

with the word “love”? If you were to jotdown the first ten that come to mind, Ibet it would be easy. We use the word totalk about the foods we eat, clothes wewear (and yes, that includes shoes!), songswe listen to, books we read, movies wehave seen, places we have visited . . . allto indicate a genuine fondness for them.

On another level, we use the word toexpress our deepest feelings. Whether weuse it to describe our feelings for thingsor people, the word “love” has a similarmeaning. But “loving” a fine piece of Swisschocolate is not quite the same as “loving”a family member or friend.

Love is a powerful concept, quite pos-sibly the most powerful one on this earth.

One way that we learn about the values of a culture or society is to studythe art and popular music of the people.If some one were to study our popularmusic, the theme of love would be foundto run through every genre. Think abouthow many song titles or lyrics have theword love in them: “I Will Always LoveYou,” “All My Loving,” “All You NeedIs Love,” “You’ve Lost That Loving Feel -ing,” “Show er the People You Love withLove”. . .

There is plenty of evidence that love isa significant part of our culture and thatin spite of the pain and suffering in the

world, there is hope and joy in the con-cept of love.

I am confident that most of us lovewhat we do for work. The daily work ofa school counselor can be challenging, re warding, and exhausting, and some-times all three at once. There are situa-tions we face during the day that are dis -cour aging, frustrating, and, at times, evenheartbreaking.

One thing is for certain, we did not gointo the field for the monetary rewardsor for glory and honor. We went intothe field out of love. We care deeply forour students, and we love to help themaccomplish their goals, overcome obsta-cles, and plan for a future in which theywill find work that they love.

In any field, what separates the goodworker from the great one is dedicatedpassion. In great workers, passion comesacross in how they carry out their dailywork. When you love what you do, youare not satisfied with just giving the min-imum daily requirement. You constantlystrive to improve, give your best effort,and assess and evaluate how to do it bet-ter next time.

In our case, when we approach ourwork with this kind of love, our studentssucceed. We help them find happinessand satisfaction.

The work of a school counselor is tolove, to provide the one place in the schoolsetting where a student will experienceunconditional positive regard. It may notbe easy work, but it is worthwhile workand work we can be proud of. It makesa difference in the lives of our students.

My second point is that although wecome into contact with negative forcesevery day, we do have a way to overcomethem. Some of the forces are outside ofschool and outside of our control, yet weare left to deal with the aftermath.

Sometimes the forces can be school-budget woes, conflicts with staff mem-

Happy Holidays from MASCA!

bers, misunderstandings, and instancesof injustice. I have discovered that nomatter what the difficulty, if we respondin the kindest, most loving, and caringway possible (even when we are angry orhurt), we do our part to improve the situ-ation. I cannot think of one situation thatwas ever improved by an unloving or vin-dictive response. It sounds simple, but Ithink John Lennon was definitely ontosomething when he insisted: “Love is theanswer.”

As 2009 comes to an end and we headinto 2010, I wish all of you love, peace, andall good things in the coming year. ■

In Memoriam

I n November, MASCA lost anotherof its long-serving leaders. Mary

Mullen Burke, a lifelong resident ofMilton, died at the age of 90 after abrief illness. For many years Maryserved MASCA as its secretary.

She was a graduate of Milton HighSchool and Regis College and earneda master’s degree at Boston Uni ver sity.At the beginning of World War II,Mary was one of the first women toenlist in the Navy Wave Program, andshe was later commissioned as an of -fi cer. She worked as a guidance coun -selor at Archbishop Williams HighSchool from 1963 until her re tire mentin 2001. Throughout the years Marycontributed her talents as an activealumna of Regis College. In Miltonshe was active in the Red Cross, atone point serving as chairperson.

In a written tribute to Mary, aparent said that she was “a true gui -dance coun selor.”

MASCA is grateful for Mary’smany years of service and for beinga model of dedication and grace. ■

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2009 – 2010MASCA OFFICERS

PRESIDENTCHRISTINE A. EVANSEast Bridgewater High School11 Plymouth Street, East Bridgewater, MA 02333Tel. 508-378-5851 • Fax 508-378-8236E-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTCAROLYN RICHARDSSomerville High School81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143Tel. 617-625-6600 x6120 • Fax 617-628-8413E-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTKAREN M. D’AMOURManchester Essex Regional High School36 Lincoln Street, Manchester, MA 01944Tel. 978-526-7641 • Fax 978-526-2044E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYTBA

VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGHRICHARD WHITEGateway Regional Middle School12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA 01050E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARYJENNIFER LISKMedway High School, Medway, MA 02053E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARYJAY LEIENDECKERVice President Enrollment Services, Dean CollegeTel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORSRUTH CARRIGANWhitman-Hanson Regional High School600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORSTHERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325Tel. 508-531-2640E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREESRALPH SENNOTTP.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886Tel. 978-692-8244E-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDONNA M. BROWNAdjunct Professor, UMass BostonP.O. Box 366, 779 Center StreetBryantville, MA 02327Tel. 781-293-2835E-mail: [email protected]

TREASURERTINA KARIDOYANESP.O. Box 1007, Monument Beach, MA 02553Tel. 508-759-3986E-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARYCARRIE KULICK-CLARKBraintree High School, Braintree, MA 02184Tel. 781-848-4000 x2273E-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORDEBORAH CLEMENCEP.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641E-mail: [email protected]

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITORSALLY ANN CONNOLLY19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154E-mail: [email protected]

DECEMBER 2009 3

December 2009

www.masca.org

inside

Published by:Massachusetts School Counselors Association10 issues per year, September through June. The yearlysubscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00.

Opinions expressed in the articles published herein representthe ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do notnecessarily reflect the views or policies of the MassachusettsSchool Counselors Association, Inc.

The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does notimply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs,services, or views expressed.

Questions concerning submission of articles, publi cationdeadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed toSally Ann Connolly, Editor.

©2009 by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.All rights reserved.

4 Providing Support for the Obese StudentBy Yvonne Larrier

6 A Gift to Share: The College Essay ProjectBy Ruth Carrigan

8 A Canadian ExperienceBy Donna Brown

9 Progress on Legislative BillsBy Bob Bardwell

10 MASCA Awards Nomination Information

13 Professional Development NewsBy Helen O’Donnell

14 Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Part 2By Karen D’Amour

MASCA


Providing Support for the Obese StudentBy YVONNE LARRIER, PhD, LPC, NCC, NCSC

Assistant Professor of Counseling, Human Services and Educational LeadershipIndiana University South Bend

Recently I have been involved in quitea few committee meetings with K-12

educators, higher education faculty, andother stakeholders interested in improv-ing academic achievement and success forall students, but specifically for under-represented populations. The discussionswere quite interesting to say the least.What I found most interesting was thatunless I, as a previous school counselor andpresently a counselor educator, ad dressedsocial and emotional issues as barriers tolearning, these did not get mentioned.

When academic achievement and suc-cess are being discussed among educators,the discussion tends to mainly focus onpedagogy and content. As such, it is crit-ical for school counselors to be in atten-dance and be prepared to add a differentand necessary perspective to the discus-sion. Given their educational background,expertise, and understanding of humanbehavior and the educational setting, pro-fessional school counselors are well posi -tioned to contribute significantly to thesediscussions.

In addition to being leaders, advocates,collaborators, and change agents in edu-cational settings, school counselors arealso trained mental health professionals.Their training in mental health placesthem in a position of competence to dis-cuss, among other topics, barriers toacademic achievement and success andthe social-emotional effects on students’performance.

One such barrier to learning is child-hood obesity, which has now reached epi -

demic proportion in the U.S and is asso-ciated with many physical health risks aswell as psychosocial issues, such as low-ered self-esteem, depression, bullying, andpoor academic performance.

The school counselor is in a key posi-tion to provide preventive support andinterventions.

The school counselor’s roleAs a collaborator, the school counselorcan work with the school nurse, the P.E.teacher, and the cafeteria staff, amongothers, to provide guidance lessons inhealthy lifestyle choices.

As an advocate, the school counselorcan make suggestions to administrationand others for healthier foods as well asmore recess and physical activity duringthe school day.

In the role of mental health profes-sional the school counselor can provideindividual and small group counselingto obese students.

He/she can be a consultant and pro-vide parent education classes for parentsof obese students, as well as be a resourceto teachers and administrators.

School is a child’s work; they spend aminimum of six hours per day at school.Many of their values, life skills, social andacademic skills are learned and honedfrom their teachers, school counselors,administrators, and peers while at school.Much of their worldview is incubated anddemonstrated in the school environment.

An obese child’s day at school mayconceivably be very challenging. For

exam ple, he /she may take longer to getfrom one class to the next; and on theway to class they may have to endurestares, snickers, derogatory commentsalong with his/her self-deprecating in -ternal dialogue.

By the time the student gets to the otherclass, the desk may not be physically/logistically accommodative; this can be -come a source of embarrassment for thestudent. Instructional time may have al -ready begun, given that the student mayhave had numerous physical, social, andemotional barriers to overcome or nego-tiate on his/her way to class.

Furthermore, when this student getsto class albeit late, he/she is unable to un -obtrusively find a seat. Seats in the backare usually taken first, so the student mayhave to walk to the front of the class,creating additional anxiety.

It is important to observe here that thisstudent has not yet sat down for any in -struction at this point, thus the academicperformance may be impacted.

In essence, the ASCA National Modelwas developed to assist school counsel orsto successfully meet the academic, career,and personal /social needs of all K-12students. For this reason, it is compul-sory for school counselors to be at thepith of creating a school culture and cli-mate where all children can feel safewhile learning academically and growingso cially and emotionally. Consequently,school counselors must be knowledge-able, alert, and aware to students’ needsin their schools.

For the students who may be strug-gling as they change classes due to issuesrelated to obesity and other barrier-typestimuli; for the teachers and administra-tors who may feel ill-equipped to assistthese students as they try to negotiate anenvironment that marginalizes them; andfor the parents who have tried to encour-age and support their child’s weak andwavering self-esteem—be knowledgeable,visible, available and responsive.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

To contact Professor Larrier, write [email protected] or call 574-520-4262.

Daily exercise improves children’s health“An ongoing study, which began four years ago in the Germancity of Leipzig, shows already that children assigned to dailyexercise lessons reduced their overall prevalence of obesity,improved their exercise capacity, increased their levels of HDL-cholesterol, and reduced their systolic blood pressure.”

— ScienceDaily, 10 May 2009, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090508045318.htm

DECEMBER 2009 5


A Gift to Share: The College Essay ProjectBy RUTH CARRIGAN

MASCA VP Guidance Administrators

When this article reaches you, wewill be in the midst of the holiday

season. I don’t know about you, but thistime of year always stresses me out as Iprepare for the holidays and start think-ing about perfect gifts for family andfriends. One thing I really do enjoy aboutthis season, though, is sharing with others.To that end, I hope to encourage all ofyou to think about sharing your best prac-tices with professional colleagues.

One of my favorite parts of our guid-ance curriculum at Whitman-Hanson Re -gional High School is The College EssayProject. This idea was planted in my headabout eight years ago by Pam Heroux, acollege admissions representative who atthat time was working for Sacred HeartUniversity.

During a fall counselor visit, she toldme about an interesting program that shewas doing with Marshfield High School,where she would work with the guidance

staff, evaluate student college essays, andthen visit the high school and meet withstudents to share feedback.

Based on that conversation, I decidedto implement The College Essay Projectat Whitman-Hanson when I took overas direc tor of guidance in 2004. Althoughit was time-consuming and required quitea bit of extra work on my part, I thoughtit was an important and worthy projectthat could benefit the students at myschool.

Now in our fifth year, the Project hasbeen a wonderful way for the entire gui -dance staff to collaborate with our Eng-lish teachers and a number of college ad -missions representatives on a project thatencompasses every member of our seniorclass. Although we’ve tweaked things abit over the years, we feel that we’ve puttogether a program that works well for us.

During the second week of school, weinvite one of our college admissions part-

ners to spend the day at our school, meet-ing with all of our seniors and our seniorEnglish teachers, for a College EssayWork shop. In this workshop, our stu-dents learn what admissions counselorsare looking for, and not looking for, in acollege essay. After this, our studentsspend the next few weeks drafting, edit-ing, and revising their essays with theirEnglish teachers. On deadline day, allessays are turned in to English teachersand then to the Guidance Office. Severaldays after that, essays leave the guidanceoffice and are sent by priority mail to ourcollege admissions partners.

This year, we worked with ten collegeadmissions representatives from collegesacross New England. Each college pro-fessional typically agrees to work withone or two of our senior English classes.After the essays are read and critiqued,the admissions representative comes toWhitman-Hanson, visits the Englishclasses with which they have partnered,returns the essays and shares insightfulfeedback with our students. Althoughstudents don’t always like what they hear,we feel it is important that they get achance to see, prior to their actual collegeapplication, exactly what an admissionsrep thinks of their essays.

We feel that the College Essay Projectis a very good use of our time and is trulybeneficial to our students as it addressesthe domains of academic achievement andcollege /career readiness. Collaboratingwith English teachers and building a net-work of college admissions partners hasbeen a wonderful way to build profes-sional collegiality for the guidance staff.It has also been good to know that otherprofessional school counselors, includingour own MASCA President Chris Evans,is replicating the Project at her school.

In this season of sharing, please thinkabout sharing your best practices withyour colleagues around the state. If youare doing something interesting and in -novative that is helping your school andyour students, please get in touch withme at [email protected], so thatwe can spread the word about programsand services that can make a difference inthe lives of our students. ■

DECEMBER 2009 7

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From students and faculty in lab coats and scrubs,

to the concentrated energy in our modern, high-tech

laboratories, to the hustle and bustle within our soaring

glass-and-steel atrium, our campus mirrors our mission.

Everything we do reflects our commitment to educating

the next generation of capable and compassionate health

care professionals and researchers. We encourage students

to contact our admission office at 617.732.2850 to schedule

an individual visit through our

Visit Concierge.

Schools at a Glance: • School of Nursing

• Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene

• School of Radiologic Sciences

• School of Physician Assistant Studies

• School of Pharmacy

• School of Health Sciences

• School of Arts and Sciences

MCPHS Means Health Care

A Canadian ExperienceBy DONNA BROWN, MASCA Executive Director


I n October, I had several opportunitiesto represent MASCA at a variety of

events. What a trip! From the CanadianCollege Fair to our Fall Conference to theSTEM summit to the hearing at the StateHouse, the month was a potpourri ofknowledge and information. Much waslearned and needs to be shared.

I’m sure there will be lots of coverageof our conference (wonderful), the STEMsummit (mind blowing) and our StateHouse visit (impressive), but I’m not sureanyone else covered the Canadian CollegeFair. With representatives from as far westas the University of British Co lumbia andas far east as the University of Cape Breton,the fair offered a glimpse at an alternativeto the expensive private schools here inMassachusetts. By way of a disclosure,please allow me a minute to share a story.

When our daughter Meghan went toDalhousie University in Halifax, NovaScotia for college, we were thrilled. Theuniversity had a great reputation formarine biology, and she would have the

opportunity to interact as an interna tion -al student. My husband’s dad and mygrandmother both had been born in NovaScotia, so there was a solid familial con-nection. This was all positive, but fromthe standpoint of tuition-paying parents,the best was the price tag. For less thana year’s cost of attendance at UMass,Meg han attended Dalhousie, a researchuniversity consistently ranked in the topten of Canadian schools. Basically, shegot an Ivy League education for a fractionof the cost at one of our Ivies (or even apublic Ivy). As parents, we were very sat -isfied customers.

Thus, when I attended the CanadianCollege Fair in October, I was pleased todiscover that our friends to the north arestill offering high quality education fora very reasonable price—and they arestill very interested in U.S. students. Thisis a win-win situation. At a time when weare trying to help parents and studentsfind appropriate, affordable higher edu-cation, we need to suggest as many op -

tions as possible. Community colleges,public colleges, and commuting are allon the table. I would allow that anothervery reasonable option is looking to Can -ada for school.

While the cost of attending a Canadianschool has increased (UMass is a littlecheap er these days), there are advantagesto heading north. Obviously, the tuitionand fees are huge factors. Canadian uni-versities are heavily subsidized by theirfederal government which means thateven after paying an international fee(usually $6000-$8000) to attend, tuition,fees, room and board are under $25,000in Canadian dollars.

The U.S. federal government allowsstudents to take much of their financialaid with them. (Pell Grants are the bigexception.) U.S. students are eligible forscholarships (academic and athletic) atmost Canadian universities, and a fairlyrecent change allows them to work afterthey have been in Canada for six months.This means that off-campus employmentis now an option.

There are many other reasons to at -tend college in Canada. It is an adven-ture being an international student. As amember of your school’s international stu-dent union, you will get to know peoplefrom all over the world. Residents ofCommonwealth and former Common-wealth nations, especially those in theCaribbean, often choose Canada. The sys -tem of education is also a little bit differ-ent, melding British and U.S. components.Students who really want to focus on aparticular area will find that they may nothave as many general education require-ments as they might have at home.

For New England students, attendingschool in Maritime Canada has a very fa -miliar feel. The food, basic language, andeven weather are almost like home. Thestudents we met were friendly and inter-esting, and the professors were bright andengaging. The academic programs arecompetitive and prepare students wellfor their chosen professions or graduateschool either at home or in Canada.

For some students, this is a great op -tion and one that I encourage you to sharewith your counselees and their families.For more information, check out the web-site, www.studyincanada.com. ■

Progress on Legislative BillsBy BOB BARDWELL

MASCA Government Relations Committee Liaison

O n October 27, more than twentyschool counselors and their sup-

porters attended the Joint Committee onEducation hearings to hear testimony onHB 470 and 471 at the State House.

Nine of the seventeen members of theCommittee were present to hear the tes-timony from

• Katie Gray, former director of gui -dance at Blackstone Valley VocationalTech nical High School

• Alyssa Hennessy, student at Black-stone Valley Vocational Technical HighSchool

• Beth Hennessy, parent• Mary Czajkowski, superintendent of

Agawam Public Schools• Linda Noonan, managing director

of the Massachusetts Business Alliancefor Education

• Tim Poynton, assistant professor anddirector of the School Counseling Pro-gram at Suffolk University

• David Hautanen, Jr., associate deanand director of admission at Northeast-ern University

• Mike Bartini, vice president of theNew England Regional Office of the Col-lege Board

Panelists spoke about the importantrole that school counselors play in thelives of students and why career plans havea benefit for students, colleges, and societyas a whole. The speakers were well pre-pared and deliberate in their remarks.

The next step in the legislative processis for the members of the Joint Committeeon Education to vote on whether the bills

to communicate with legislators, and tohear the testimony from the hearing,go to http://www.masca.org/index.php/government-relations-news.

If you have any questions or want tobecome more involved with MASCA’s ad -vocacy efforts, contact me at [email protected]. ■

will be heard on the floor of the Houseof Representatives and the Senate.

If we want these bills to get out ofcommittee, it is critical for MASCA mem-bers to contact the seventeen members ofthe committee and let them know howimportant these bills are to our students.

For specific details about the bills, how

DECEMBER 2009 9

BOB BARDWELL

MASCA Awards 2009-2010The MASCA Awards and Publicity Committee encourages you to nominate a de serving colleague for a MASCA Award.

Complete the nomination form and send it to Celeste Cianfrani, Chair. The committee will then contact your nominee to submita nomination packet, which should contain two letters of recommendation and one additional piece of supporting information.

All nomination forms must be submitted by February 1, 2010.


MASCA Counselor of the Year:A current MASCA member and a li -censed counselor serving during the cur-rent school year in an elementary, sec-ondary, or postsecon dary school or in alocal or regional school system and whohas made outstanding contributions tohis/her school. The recipient will have

excellent rapport with pupils, parents,and school personnel and is a high lyrespected counselor of students.

MASCA Administrator of theYear: An administrator, who has madean out stand ing and significant contribu-tion to the guidance and counseling move -

ment, dev eloped and/or implemented aninnovative program or initiated im prove -ments of school counseling services inhis/her area of responsibility.

MASCA Leadership Award: A cur-rent MASCA member and licensed coun -selor serving during the current schoolyear in an elementary, secondary, or post -secon dary school or in a local or re gionalschool system and who demonstrates ableleadership in the counseling profession atthe local, state, or national level.

MASCA Special Award: An indi vi -dual who has made a contribution ofunusual significance that substantiallyaf fects the guidance and counseling pro-fession. The contribution directly affectscounselors, students, or a school programand the individual is not eligible for anyother MASCA Awards.

The Rising Star Award: An indi vi -dual who has entered the school counsel-ing profession within the last five years.The award winner is a model for newcounselors, demonstrating the higheststandards of professional competence,outstanding contributions to the schoolcommunity and/or profession, andexcellent rapport with students, parents,and school personnel.

The Retiring Counselor Award:A counselor who is retiring in the currentyear or has retired within the last fiveyears. This counselor has served as amodel for new counselors, demonstratinghighest standards of professional compe-tence and excellent rapport with students,parents, and school personnel and hasmade outstanding contributions to theschool community and/or profession.

The George Thompson Memor-ial Scholarship Award: A $1,000scholarship award named in honor ofGeorge Thomp son, a longtime friend andcontributor to MASCA. This award win-ner is a school counseling graduate studentwho demonstrates exceptional promisefor leadership and contribution to ourprofession. Nominations from CounselorEducators are encouraged. ■

DECEMBER 2009 11

MASCA Awards Nomination Form 2009-2010Nominator Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

School/Organization:____________________________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________________ E-mail: _____________________________________________________

Nominee: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

School/Organization:____________________________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________________ E-mail: _____________________________________________________

MASCA Award: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Brief statement about why your nominee deserves to be selected for this MASCA Award:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Submit nominations to Celeste Cianfrani, Awards & Publicity Committee Chair.

Nominations can be e-mailed to [email protected], faxed to 413-667-0259,or mailed to Celeste Cianfrani, 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA 01050.

The deadline for submitting nominations is February 1, 2010.


ED’S VIEWSBy ED BRYANT, NCC

MASCA Life Trustee

I n keeping with Oscar Krichmar’s re -quest for 50th Birthday history items,

here are some recollections.During my term as executive director,

Charles Brovelli served as the Directoryeditor. We were faced with the problemof binding the Directory, and Ted Mac-Donald—then president of Bay StateBind ery and best man at my wedding toMary Lou—suggested that MASCA trya wiro binding for the 1994 edition. Ted

said that this kind of binding would allowthis popular publication to stay flat onthe desk when in use. He was right.

That year we were sorry to receive theresignation of MSCA Treasurer KathyMarmorek of Natick High School. Wethanked this loyal member for her manyyears of outstanding service to MSCA.

Also during that time, we attempted ajob placement service, with some success.The Boston Sunday Globe (February 13,1994) quoted me as saying (among otherthings): “In many schools, there is not toomuch parent involvement.” What aboutnow? Is there more?

In the last issue of CN we mentionedthe 375th birthday of Ipswich. A portionof that issue was buried in the Time Cap -sule, which will be opened in fifty years.

High school counselors, do you findthat because of the economy fewer stu-dents are applying to out-of-state privatecolleges? My grandson from Connecti-cut will be applying to private collegesin Massachusetts.

Recently, a young woman said dur-ing an interview for the USN Academythat she wanted to be a Nuclear PowerOfficer on a submarine. Because of heroutstand ing prep school record, as theBGO (USNAIO) I gave her my recom-mendation. Until now, women have notbeen approved by Congress to serve onsubmarines.

Because MASCA and its affiliates havemany members who are retirees, we shouldcontinue to express their concerns. Forexample, as a retiree, are you concernedabout your weight? An easy answer is touse more calories than you take in. Nowthat you are in happy retirement, take alook at how much physical activity you en -gage in. I recommend reading Dr. WayneDyer’s Excuses Begone! How to ChangeLifelong, Self-Defeating Think Habits.

Another thought. If you spend muchtime at the TV or computer, do you havean increased eye dryness?

Retirees, stay active. We need yoursupport and keep in touch. For all of us,keeping in touch with friends is goodfor both mental and physical health.

Happy holidays to all. ■

ED BRYANT

DECEMBER 2009 13

Professional Development NewsBy HELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D.

MASCA Professional Development Committee Chair

A PDP ReminderComplete your Certificates of Atten-dance/Evidence of Learning Forms,gather a minimum of 10 hours ofprofessional development, and sub-mit them for your PDP certificates.

E arly in October, MASCA colleaguesgathered in Boxboro for a day of

professional development, collegial net-working, and consulting with college rep -resentatives and exhibitors.

ASCA President Pat Nailor discusseddata, stressed professional accountability,and advocated for the profession of schoolcounseling. Extended afternoon sessionsincluded Dr. Carey Dimmitt’s (UMass Am -herst) presentation on “Solution-FocusedCounseling,” and the MEFA team updatedus on financial aid. Check the MASCAweb site for their PPT presentations.

At the conference twenty-nine exhi bi -tors promoted services, materials andtraining opportunities. A diversity of con-current workshops included panel presen-tations highlighting technical educationopportunities and an update on collegeadmissions, accelerated learning, writingletters of recommendation, communica-tion, violence prevention and managingbully behavior, updates on child abuse andworking with the DA’s office, and manyother topics. Thank you to all presentersfor your time and commitment to schoolcounseling colleagues.

MASCA Spring ConferenceBefore school budgets are frozen, submityour request to attend MASCA’s annualspring conference to be held at the CrownPlaza in Danvers on April 11-13, 2010.The conference will include three days ofprofessional development, keynote ad dres -s es, workshops, networking, and exhibits.

Registration rates will be the same asthose for last year’s conference:

• Single and multiple day registrationpackages.

• Best value: Early Bird registration! • MASCA members are eligible for

re duced rates.The Call for Workshop Programs is

now posted on MASCA’s website. Andwe encourage submission for the MAModel Implementation and GraduateStudent Poster Session programs.

Watch the website for registration

ma terials and updated information aboutwork shops and keynoters. While there,check out MASCA’s virtual sponsorshipand exhibitor listings.

Information about the conference sitecan be found at http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/bosns. Seeyou in Danvers! ■

Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Part 2By KAREN D’AMOURMASCA Past President


I n my November article I wrote aboutthe Massachusetts Business Alliance for

Education (MBAE) and their efforts to de -fine the basic employer needs requiredfrom our high school and college gradu-ates. These are outlined in the publication,Preparing for the Future: Employer Per-spectives on Work Readiness Skills.

This month I would like to update youon the work of the MBAE and their latestpublication, Educating a 21st CenturyWorkforce.

The recommendations that were putforth in this follow-up document are theresult of a collaborative effort on the partof educators and business leaders withinthe Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Positive notes for Massachusetts:• In 2007, the Massachusetts De part -

ment of Elementary and Secondary Edu -ca tion (DESE) announced that 80% ofthe students who entered ninth grade in2002 graduated four years later; a rate thatis 10% higher than the national average.

• Massachusetts students outscored

students from other states on the Na tion -al Assessment of Educational Progress(NAEP).

These are both great accomplishments.However, we cannot lose sight of the stu-dents who do not graduate, score belowthe national average on standardized test-ing, and do not have the necessary skillsto earn entry level jobs.

According to the MBAE’s follow-updocument, our urban students (with onlya 64% graduation rate) are falling behindstudents in suburban areas. There are even50 schools in Massachusetts that re port edgraduation rates below 60 percent, a crisisfor all of us! We need to do somethingdifferently, and we need to do it soon.

The MBAE is actively pursuing whatthey believe is needed reform to our edu-cational systems in Massachusetts.

Our charge must be to work with theMBAE in defining the necessary reformrequired to educate a 21st Century Work-force. I offer to use this article as a forumfor your ideas and suggestions on the nec-

essary reform. In a future article I willsummarize your input and share yourideas with our friends at the MBAE. Ican be contacted at [email protected].

As school counselors, we may wantto steal time from our busy lives to attendmeetings on reform topics, participate inthe process, offer suggestions, and makesure we have a hand in defining what ourrole as counselors will be in the Race tothe Top.

For more information on MBAE, checktheir website: www.mbae.org.

MBAE StrategiesStrategy 1: Reform theFundamental High School Model

• More career counseling and guid-ance support early and throughout a stu-dent’s educational experience (Counselors,it sounds like they are counting on us)

• Increased instructional time and flex-ible alternatives to a four year schedule

• Increased access to dual enrollmentprograms

Strategy 2: Align Curriculumwith the Demands of Collegeand Career

• Implement the MassCore course ofstudy statewide as the minimum re quire -ment for a diploma (This topic has re -ceived much concern, and many of youmay have questions and concerns. I rec-ommend that you write to the CN andlet your opinions be heard.)

• Include skills that are essential inthe 21st Century across the curriculum

• Provide opportunities for work-based or service learning activities

Strategy 3: Ensure AssessmentsMeasure Relevant Skills andContent Mastery

• Exit assessments that measure col-lege and career readiness

• A statewide end of course assess-ment system

Strategy 4: Create a System ofPartnerships to Support andSustain Reforms

• Formalize regional school-to-busi-ness partnership programs

• Establish long-term and meaningfulpartnerships between schools and busi-nesses at the local level ■

DECEMBER 2009 15

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

NEWBURYPORT, MAPERMIT NO. 96

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

CHANGE OF ADDRESS:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NAME

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CITY ZIP CODESTATE

Send this form to:Deborah ClemenceP.O. Box 805East 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.

SAVE THE DATE!

Massachusetts Coalition forSchool Counseling Advocacy Day

March 10, 2010 • State House, Boston

Advocate for our students, our schools, and our profession

MASCA, NEACAC, and The College Board have joined together to sponsor the 2010 Advocacy Dayon Beacon Hill.

School counselors and others who believe in quality school counseling programs in our schools willspend a day at the State House advocating for issues that are important to school counselors and theyoung people we serve.

Participants will receive training on legislative issues and advocacy and will talk in person with ourelected legislators and other policymakers to inform them about who we are and what we do, andabout the importance of quality school counseling in our students’ education and lives.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL FOR THIS TO WORK!All of our voices are needed for this effort to be effective.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Please mark your calendars now. More details are forthcoming.

Questions? Please contact Bob Bardwell at [email protected].

counselor's notebook, december 2009

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