School district counselors meet at BC3
BUTLER TWP — High school students wouldn't let their mother or grandmother pick a pair of blue jeans for their wardrobe. Nor should they let their mother or grandmother pick their career.
Pattie Bajuszik, director of admissions at Butler County Community College, has a pair of paisley jeans to prove her point.
As a member of the executive council of the Butler County Counselor Association, she prepared her talk to remind counselors to encourage students to choose their own path.
The counselors, about 35 of them, attended a meeting of the association Friday at the college campus.
The numbers of school guidance counselors attending professional development meetings had dipped in recent years.
Sarah Beneigh, a counselor at Butler Junior High School, said that was just evidence of how much counselors are needed and how much work they have to do.
"We're excited the numbers are back up," she said.
The professional development needs of school guidance counselors are different from those of teachers, and the Butler County Counselor Association is designed to address that gap.
"Typically we get the same professional development (as teachers)," Beneigh said. "It's nice to have this."
Beneigh, along with other counselors from the Butler School District, is hosting the meetings this year. The group tries to meet three times a year for speakers and informational sessions. It met Friday for the first time this year.
Counselors from South Butler, Seneca Valley, Mars, Slippery Rock and Karns City joined Butler for the meeting. Also members of the organization but not able to make it Friday were counselors from Moniteau, the Midwestern Intermediate Unit and the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The host school, which is responsible for coordinating meetings, rotates to a different school each year.
The opportunity to get together provides support for counselors and gives them a chance to network. That way, Beneigh said, when counselors need something such as records for a student who has moved from another district, they know by name who to call.
Lu Ann Byrnes, a counselor for Knoch High School, said meeting with other counselors can lead to new resources for students. For instance, after talking to other high school counselors she just learned about a Job Corps program at BC3 that she can suggest to her students."Teachers deal with academics," she said. "You deal with social, emotional and career issues."The all-day meetings typically cover career exploration, mental health issues and community resources.The gathering Friday, which was truncated by inclement weather, separated elementary and secondary counselors into specialized sessions.Secondary counselors focused on the software program Career Cruising and how it can help students match their interests with a career. At the same time, elementary counselors heard from BC3 admissions director Bajuszik.Bajuszik said it's important to get even younger students thinking about career possibilities. Though she's not a school counselor, she said it is important for her to be a part of the association to help students and counselors think beyond high school."I have a unique perspective on preparing students for the next step," she said. She also knows about dual enrollment and college in the high school programs provided by BC3.The afternoon was designated for a session to learn about what grief resources are available from the Caring Place in Warrendale.Byrnes said she shares what she learns with administrators and educates them about the resources available."It's a good experience," she said.
