Shawnee High senior Kayla Dilks speaks to guidance counselor Matt Catinella. The role is often overlooked but “vital” to students, notes senior James DiBasi.
National School Counseling Week is celebrated the first week of February through the American School Counselor Association to emphasize the important role counselors play in the lives of students as they maneuver through high school and ultimately pursue careers.
“National School Counseling Week is important to me because it highlights all the hard work and dedication of our counselors who otherwise do not get the credit they deserve for helping the students and staff in our schools,” said Shawnee High School senior James DiBasi.
“Students do not usually interact with counselors daily, resulting in their contributions to our collective success getting overlooked,” he added. “So, this week is a good reminder to us all just how vital counselors are to us.”
The association is a nonprofit founded in 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia, to support counselors as they help students in pursuit of academic excellence. It offers professional development and other resources – along with research and advocacy – to counselors around the globe, according to its website www.schoolcounselor.org.
Commemorating the efforts school counselors have on students and colleagues is a motivational tool to remind those in the role that they’re appreciated.
“I had some positive experiences when I was in high school with teachers and coaches who made a significant difference in my life,” shared Shawnee counselor Matthew Catinella. “I think pretty early on I knew I wanted to work in a high school as a way of paying it forward, to give future students a similar experience that I had.
“It took me a few career changes to realize I wanted to become a school counselor,” he added, “but I think the driving force was my hope to earn a living doing something that felt meaningful, and as a way to honor teachers and coaches who influenced me.”
For Catinella, the week-long recognition this month represents the uniquely valuable role high-school counselors play in the lives of the students.
“It’s important for Shawnee – and any school, really – to acknowledge the unique and valuable work that school counselors do and the role they play within our schools,” he explained. “It’s good for counselors to feel valued, and I also think it’s important for students to have the opportunity to express gratitude.
“There has been a lot of research that shows that the expression of gratitude has mental-health benefits for the person expressing it.”
It is customary for students and staff at Shawnee each February to engage in activities that elaborate on gratitude for the counselors. And each year, the school has celebrated National School Counseling Week in various ways.
“Every winter, our school does an activity where students and staff can fill out a Google form (or what the school calls Snowflake Attitude of Gratitude messages) in honor of a staff member to show appreciation for them,” Catinella said.
“This year, since our snowflake activity happened to coincide with National School Counselor Week and the administration encouraged students to fill out Snowflakes about school counselors who inspired them or made an impact in their lives.”
Shawnee senior Kayla Dilks shared an important lesson she learned from Catinella and other counselors.
“Mr. Catinella has taught me about finding joy in everything,” she observed. “One thing that he said that always has stuck with me is to find your why. When I had a stress fracture and was getting back into running, I was telling him about how it was hard to feel so far from where I once was. Because of this, I was having a hard time enjoying running.
“He then asked me why I ran,” Dilks added. “He said I didn’t need to have an answer right then and there, but to think about it and write it down. Then, he would encourage me to look back at my ‘why’ every time I struggled with running.
“I was able to carry this lesson into other parts of my life, and it has helped me remain grateful for opportunities and remember why I do what I do.”
Shawnee Principal Matthew Campbell is “incredibly grateful” for the school’s counselors.
“Their efforts inspire learning, growth and compassion every day,” he pointed out. “They truly are ‘Super Care Heroes,’ connecting students with resources, advocating for their academic and mental-health well-being and making a lasting impact on their lives.”
“Our counselors do so much for us without us even knowing,” Dilks emphasized. “They work all summer to set up our schedules, send our colleges all of our scores, and help answer any questions that we might have regarding our future.”
