School Counselors Prove Crucial to Student Success

If middle school students wore uniforms, it would decrease negative social behaviors--or so Asuza Pacific University masters student Lindsay Barth thought.

That was until she completed her thesis, and found there were other ways to change the course of at-risk students.

“My research proved me wrong. It showed that it wouldn’t make that big of a difference, except in areas where there are high numbers of gangs,” Barth, 23, said. “There are other measures that can be taken, such as encouraging students to participate in group counseling.”

Barth is seeking her master’s in education counseling, and shared her findings with a room full of school district officials from throughout Riverside County. They gathered Wednesday morning in Temecula to honor school counselors, sharing strategies and discussing their continued efforts to impact students’ lives.

It was part of a celebration taking place across the country for National School Counseling Week. Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenn Young spoke, as did Murrieta Valley Unified School District Superintendent Stan Scheer.

The event was organized by Dean Lesicko, coordinator of student support services at the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Lesicko recently served as president of California Association of School Counselors, and said he hoped the event would be the first of many of its kind.

“School counselors are essential to the work we are doing in education,” Lesicko said. “It is more important than ever to share ideas and best practices, not only focusing on our own schools and districts, but as a county as a whole.”

“We wanted to do something to recognize what school counselors are doing on a local level.”

Two schools were honored for the work they do: La Sierra High School of the Riverside Unified School District and Sunnymead Elementary School from the Moreno Valley Unified School District.

Darcel Cannady-Jamerson, a counselor at Sunnymead, shared her strategies, which she believes helped raise API scores 24 points in one year.

“We had a huge problem at our school with the African American subgroup. They were scoring lower than second language learners,” Cannady-Jamerson said.

Her methodology involves bringing struggling students together once a week for small groups. Even at a young age, she said she pushes her students to set goals and use positive affirmations. Sometimes, she has parents sign contracts.

School board members, superintendents and school counselors from across the county to paid recognition to those like Cannday-Jamerson, who often work behind the scenes.

Robin Crist, board member for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, said the work counselors do is vital.

“During these times, it can be pivotal. When a lot of districts are cutting counselors, we have to fight for them,” Crist said.

“Counseling was one of those important things to me as a kid. It got me where I am today. Sometimes you need those people in your life to get you going in the right direction.”