Issuu

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

Silver and Gold

VOL. 47, NO. 7

Preparing for College and Career through Global Awareness

By JENNIFER LISK MASCA VP Secondary

By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director

JENNIFER LISK “Make new friends, but keep the old / One is silver and the other gold.” For any of you who were a Girl Scout, this may bring back memories of sitting around a campfire. As I was contemplating what to write for this edition of the Counselor’s Notebook, this song popped into my head. To me, this is MASCA. As we approach MASCA’s 50th Birthday Celebration, it is both critically important to the profession and incredibly interesting to hear about the history of MASCA and to see the work that those before us have done. Without them, we would not be where we are today. On the other hand, it is the re-energizing that comes with different people joining the organization and bringing new ideas and perspectives that keeps us going. I encourage you to bring this same perspective to the spring conference and any other professional event you attend. Seek out those you know to reconnect and those who always have words of wisdom for you. Then step outside your comfort zone. Talk to someone new, whether it is another counselor or a graduate student or a presenter or an exhibitor. You never know what you will learn. Happy Birthday, MASCA! Here’s to another fifty years of proudly representing our profession. ■

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ears ago, I had a supervisor who stated unequivocally that “the Guidance Department is the conscience of the school.” I remember thinking that at best this was hyperbole; at worst he was buttering us up to take responsibility for something that had happened. Neither was the case, and over the years I have come to believe his statement completely. It’s easy to forget this when we are buried in last minute college recommendations or up to our ears in schedule changes, but it’s true. We advocate for our students; we try to guarantee that everyone “plays fair”; we speak for those without a voice; we organize coat drives and food drives and a myriad of ways to help kids. And all the while, we encourage academic and social success, promote college and career readiness, and create ways to help students become positive,

YEARS

1961

2011

productive citizens. Whew! In January, I made my annual pilgrimage to New York to the United Nations for the Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN) conference. This year’s theme, “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Teaching for Action,” provided much to think about. In our packets was a wallet-sized card that summarized the goals and the statement that “the 192 Member States (all our countries) of the United Nations have promised to achieve the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.” On the back of the card, the eight goals were listed: ERADICATE Extreme Poverty and Hunger; ACHIEVE Universal Primary Education; PROMOTE Gender Equality and Empower Women; REDUCE Child Mortality; IMPROVE Maternal Health; COMBAT HIV/AIDS, Malaria (continued on page 4)

GOLDEN PAST . . . PLATINUM FUTURE

MASCA Annual Spring Conference and MASCA 50th Birthday Celebration

Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore, Danvers April 10 -12, 2011 Registration form can be found on page 8.

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2010 – 2011 MASCA OFFICERS

MASCA

PRESIDENT CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6120 • Fax 617-628-8413 E-mail: crichards@k12.somerville.MA.US PRESIDENT-ELECT MICHELLE BURKE Beverly High School 100 Sohier Road Beverly, MA 01915-2654 E-mail: mburke@beverlyschools.org PAST PRESIDENT CHRISTINE A. EVANS Randolph High School 70 Memorial Parkway, Randolph, MA 02368 Tel. 781-961-6220 x 545 • Fax 781-961-6235 E-mail: evansc@randolph.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY JACQUELINE BROWN East Somerville Community School 42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6517 • Fax 617-591-7906 E-mail: jbrown@k12.somerville.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH RICHARD WHITE Gateway Regional Middle School 12 Littleville Road, Huntington, MA 01050 E-mail: RWhite@GRSD.org VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY JENNIFER LISK Medway High School, Medway, MA 02053 Tel. 508-533-3228 x 5107 • Fax 508-533-3246 E-mail: lisk@medway.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JAY LEIENDECKER Vice President Enrollment Services, Dean College Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jleiendecker@dean.edu VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS RUTH CARRIGAN Whitman-Hanson Regional High School 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382 Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098 E-mail: ruth.carrigan@whrsd.org VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES RALPH SENNOTT P.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886 Tel. 978-692-8244 E-mail: ralphsennott@hotmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA M. BROWN Adjunct Professor, UMass Boston P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street Bryantville, MA 02327 Tel. 781-293-2835 E-mail: dbrownmasca@gmail.com TREASURER TINA KARIDOYANES P.O. Box 1007, Monument Beach, MA 02553 Tel. 508-759-3986 E-mail: tkaridoyanes@gmail.com SECRETARY JENNIFER JUST McGUIRE Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Tel. 508-759-7711 x 247 • Fax 508-759-5455 E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: Deborah_Clemence@verizon.net COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SALLY ANN CONNOLLY 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

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March 2011

inside 6

Emerging Leaders Program enters fifth year

Leadership Forum scheduled for March

MASCA Spring Conference Registration Form

9 10

Golden Past, Platinum Future By Michelle Burke

MASCA Conference and 50 Birthday Celebration By Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D.

MASCA Call for Nominations 2011-2012

MASCA Officers Nomination Form

Looking Back to the Future By Joe Fitzgerald

Published by: Massachusetts School Counselors Association 10 issues per year, September through June. The yearly subscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00. Opinions expressed in the articles published herein represent the ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does not imply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs, services, or views expressed. Questions concerning submission of articles, publication deadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed to Sally Ann Connolly, Editor.

www.masca.org

BROWN (continued from page 1) and Other Diseases; ENSURE Environmental Stability; and DEVELOP a Global Partnership for Development. As I listened to keynoters Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chair of the UN Development Programme, and considered the reportage of successes and continuing challenges in meeting the MDGs presented by various panels, I realized how little I really knew and I wondered how much my colleagues and their students did. It also occurred to me that this was a wonderful opportunity to help our students become contributing citizens in their schools, communities, and the world. In the afternoon, several schools were honored with best practices awards. As the projects were introduced, it was obvious that students (and educators) had grown in their understanding of their place in the world. For example, North Euless Elementary School in Texas started an after-school project called Club We Can. The project started with 35 students and four teachers. Universal human rights and responsibilities were the foundation of all projects. The students (grades 3-6) chose and organized their own projects. In the first year they held a food drive, maintained the school flower beds, conducted a drive for science lab materials, and ran a fund-raising project for children in Kenya. The culminating event was an International Night. According to their principal, “Both academic achievement and school atmosphere improved over the course of the year.” Another honored school had created a unit on Africa, focusing on understanding the issues of prejudice/discrimination and genocide. A New Jersey high school developed a project, “Global Bridge for Better Communities,” that brought students and parents together with people from Keroka, Kenya to improve living conditions there. Yet another school created an extensive exit performance for eighth grade students entitled “Global Race to the Top.” Students were divided into assigned countries and each group was required to design a development plan to address the UN MDG. The plans were presented to an outside group of evaluators acting as administrators in a competition for major

collecting winter coats or running food drives. Counselors can tap these resources and help tweak them to make them accessible to all students.

Expanding global horizons Several other groups provided information to help educators expand students’ horizons:

DONNA BROWN funding. Each team had ten minutes for its presentation, with the teams being judged on effective communication and problem solving. They were judged by their instructors on how well they were self-directed and how effectively they collaborated. All of the projects helped students develop an understanding of the greater world, but they gained so much more! Every project supported the goals and objectives of the MA Model; every project helped students move towards college and career readiness. They had learned to research, plan, organize, collaborate, communicate, and execute a real life project that connected them with the global community.

Developing service activities that count What does all this have to do with professional school counselors? Lots! For one thing, many of us are responsible for service learning in our school and, truth be known, it tends to be the same old, same old. Wouldn’t it make more sense to develop a project that would provide service learning opportunities AND address MA Model competencies? Interdisciplinary opportunities to work with other educators and students in your school abound. Some schools have projects in place. During March Madness, for example, Weymouth High School sponsors basketball team competitions. The money raised goes to Nothing But Nets (www.nothing butnets.net), a grassroots campaign to provide mosquito nets and education to combat malaria. The nets cost $10.00 each and last about five years. Students and faculty at WHS have been able to provide hundreds of these nets. In other schools, Key Club and /or Student Council lead outreach efforts

Heifer International (www.heifer.org) works with communities to help end hunger by giving gifts of livestock and training in sustainable agriculture. Educators can access free educational programs and materials to use with students. Concern Worldwide US (www.concern usa.org) provides free resources and support to educators seeking ways to raise awareness of global issues among students and empower them to take action against poverty. I picked up samples of the student resource guides, and they are excellent. Each targets a specific issue and a geographic region. For example, “Education” has a focus on Somalia while “Water” looks at Haiti. Girls Learn International, Inc (www. girlslearninternational.org) pairs American middle and high school-based chapters with Partner Schools in countries where girls have been traditionally denied access to education. This program gives students the opportunity to explore issues affecting girls in the context of global human rights and promotes cross-cultural understanding and communication. Project GAIA (www.projectgaia.com) is a Global Clean Fuel Initiative that seeks to replace polluting fuels with renewable alcohol fuels. These are just a few of the possibilities. Counselors are in a unique position to encourage students to be participants in all their communities while developing the skills and understandings to be college- and career-ready. We are the “conscience of the school” and part of that role is to help students develop an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. For additional information about CTAUN, visit the website at www. teachun.org. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MARCH 2011

Emerging Leaders Program enters fifth year

re you a professional school counselor who has not been an elected or appointed member of the MASCA Governing Board? Do you want to be involved in our profession in some way, but you are not sure exactly how? The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is for you. The ELP was approved in 2007 by the MASCA Governing Board. Its main goal is to identify potential leaders in the school counseling profession in Massachusetts and get them involved with MASCA. Emerging Leaders have to be a professional school counselor and a MASCA member; they must not have been an elected or appointed Governing Board member; and they must have a desire to give back to our profession. Emerging Leaders must present at a MASCA-sponsored conference, attend a Governing Board meeting and an affiliate meeting, write articles for the Counselor’s Notebook, and participate in EL trainings. In return, an Emerging Leader receives a free, one-year MASCA membership, reduced conference registration fee, and free leadership training. Emerging Leaders are also expected to attend the annual MASCA Leadership Development Institute (LDI) in early August as well as the ASCA North Atlantic Region fall workshop, which is usually held the weekend before Thanksgiving. The major project that ELs worked on this year was to assist the MASCA MA Model Committee with its goal of implementing the Model in all schools in the Commonwealth. MASCA is now recruiting a new class of Emerging Leaders for 2011-2012. Interested candidates must submit a letter of interest, resume, and letter of recommendation from his / her supervisor by April 15 to Bob Bardwell, MASCA Past President, Monson High School, 55 Margaret Street, Monson, MA 01057; fax 413-267-4157; or e-mail, bardwellr@ monsonschools.com. Don’t miss out on this unique and exciting program. It will forever impact you as a professional school counselor. ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Leadership Forum scheduled for March

he annual School Counseling Leadership Forum on Beacon Hill is back and will be better than ever. The Forum will be held in the Great Hall at the State House on Wednesday, March 16, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and the focus this year is on career- and college-readiness initiatives in Massachusetts. All school counselors, directors of guidance, counselor educators, graduate students, and others interested in school counseling in Massachusetts are invited to attend. The program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Coalition for School Counseling, which includes members of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, the New England Association for College Admission Counseling, and the New England Regional Office of the College Board. Invited speakers include Governor Deval Patrick, Greg Darnieder, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary on the College Access Initiative, Keith Westrich, Director of Career & College Readiness at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, and Brian Law, President of the American School Counselor Association. Their focus will be on how to ensure all Massachusetts students have access to career and college information as well as school counselor involvement in the Race to the Top initiative. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to meet with their state representative and senator to educate them about what school counselors do and why they make a difference. We need a large turnout of school counselors and their supporters to show policy makers how vitally important school counselors are. Participants are encouraged to bring data that shows how their school counseling program makes a positive impact on student well-being and achievement. Appointments will be made for all participants. We will also discuss the three bills that the Advocacy Committee filed for this legislative session: (1) a committee to study whether to mandate six-year career plans for all students (previously filed), (2) an act to establish a school counseling leadership pilot project to accelerate college- and career-readiness (previMARCH 2011

ously filed), and (3) a bill that would mandate a school counselor in every elementary school (new). The Committee is very excited about this progress and will share updates with participants. Registration forms must be completed and returned to Casey Harvell at M+R Strategic Services by March 1. Send to charvell@mrss.com. The registration form

is also available on the MASCA website at www.masca.org/index.php/component/ content/article/38-news/236-leadershipday. For more information, contact Bob Bardwell, MASCA’s Advocacy Committee Chair, at 413-267-4589 x1107 or bardwellr@monsonschools.com. Come out to learn more about the current career- and college-readiness initiatives and support the school counseling profession. ■

2011

YEARS 1961

Building 21 st Century Academic and Employability Skills

COUNSELORâ€™S NOTEBOOK

Golden Past, Platinum Future By MICHELLE BURKE MASCA President-elect

am very proud to represent the profession of school counseling, and I “sing our praises” every chance I get. By taking the time to read the Counselor’s Notebook, I believe you, too, are also proud to be a school counselor. We have a passion for education, our careers, and more importantly, for our students. We value spending our time with children and adolescents and find joy in helping them to help themselves. Our skill as school counselors allows us to make a difference in a young person’s life, and the time is now to show our school districts, cities and towns, state and nation that school counselors are the captains of the career- and collegereadiness teams. Thanks to the productive efforts of our former and present MASCA leaders, school counseling services are included in many recent federal, state, and local educational initiatives. DESE Commissioner Mitchell Chester has shown us great respect in the past eight months by allowing our MASCA leaders to present to him in August at our Leadership Development Institute and by sincerely listening to us and understanding our vital role in student achievement. At the successful fall 2010 MASCA conference, Commissioner Chester reflected on the importance of school counseling in his keynote address. He has said that he will continue to use us as a resource and as a team member on new and existing educational initiatives. Our school counseling leaders and advocates have lobbied over the past few years for us to be heard, for our roles in the school settings to be more clearly defined and understood, for us to have “a seat at the table” in program planning, and for our comprehensive, results-based school counseling programs to be recognized as an effective and a more efficient use of a school counselor’s time. As a result of their tireless efforts, the school counseling profession is currently viewed by many as the leader at the head of the table with district administrators, policymakers, postsecondary institutions, community members, parents, and students. They look to us to lead the way in making sure that all students are careerand college-ready. This is a critical time for our school

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counseling professionals to demonstrate their value. Let us continue to lead, learn, collaborate, and celebrate our profession. Please consider getting involved in MASCA and/or your local MASCA affiliate. Join us at the annual spring conference. Volunteer on MASCA committees. Become part of the Emerging Leaders co-

hort. Or get on the ballot for an elected position. I am humbled to be part of the respected MASCA leadership team, and I look forward to meeting more, enthusiastic school counselors and our allies as we continue to advocate for and improve upon our roles as effective school counselors. ■

MASCA Conference and 50th Birthday Celebration By HELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D. MASCA Conferences Chair

n April 1961, a group of dedicated school counseling professionals formed the Massachusetts School Counselors Association. Until then, there were only a few area school “guidance” associations around the state, like the WMCA, which is celebrating its 65th birthday this year. Others (like Franklin Hampshire Guidance Association) were born in 1961 to join MASCA and have a voice on the new MASCA Governing Board. Now is the time for affiliates to examine their roots and celebrate at the MASCA spring conference. During the 50th Birthday Luncheon, affiliate members are invited to sit together at special affiliate tables. To make arrangements for specially designated tables, contact Sherry Brass at Sherry. Brass@kaplan.com.

Honors for counselors MASCA has designed a Tribute Initiative to allow affiliates, school counseling colleagues, communities, schools, and students to honor their school counselors. Check out the current Tributes posted on the website. Click on the yellow box on the left sidebar of the home page. For $50 you can post a 50-word tribute with a photo by using your credit card. All Tribute honorees will be recognized at the MASCA / Mt. Ida 50th Birthday Reception on Monday afternoon, April 11. Scholarships and awards The conference PR table needs your help. Funds raised from donated baskets, gifts, and 50-50 raffles are earmarked to support MASCA scholarships and awards. These include: monetary Help-A-Kid awards to three schools in Massachusetts (elementary, middle / jr. high, and high school); a scholarship in George Thompson’s name to a graduate student; and two Conference Attendance Certificates in honor of Louise Forsyth. We welcome donations of vacation weekends, event tickets, professional

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

books, gift items, gift certificates, etc. at the table. The past few years, Sue Gill of Bay State College has done an outstanding job promoting the raffles and staffing the table. Thanks, Sue. Donations can be brought to the PR table, Governing Board Meetings, or mailed to me at 10 Maplewood Terrace, Hadley, MA 01035.

Invitation for retirees and friends Come to the 50th celebration luncheon and participate in the afternoon social and retiree workshops. Then join the 50th Birthday Reception to recognize tribute honorees and hear from cameo guest speakers. For registration information about these events for retirees, email Mary Westcott at marywestcott@ comcast.net. See you there!

Mt. Ida Birthday Reception, which will recognize tribute honorees and include a specially designed MASCA birthday cake. More cameo guests will join this event. Everyone is welcome to join the Bay State College President’s Reception on Monday evening. Celebrate with colleagues and enjoy the music provided by Bay State’s Entertainment Majors.

Tuesday The day will include both conference workshops and the separate DESE Race

to the Top Workshop Training. The RTTT training will have a separate registration, but RTTT registrants will join conference attendees in visiting the exhibits, eating breakfast and lunch, and listening to the keynoters. Keynoter is Dr. Richard T. Lapan, UMass Amherst Professor and Chair of the MASCA Research and Evaluation Committee. Register as soon as possible and bring your colleagues and administrators. SEE YOU THERE! ■

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS Sunday Graduate students are invited to the graduate student panels on Sunday morning. This will be followed by the Graduate Student and First Timers Luncheon Reception. Come and preview the MA Model and Graduate Student poster sessions prior to Dr. Norm Gysbers’ kickoff keynote on Sunday afternoon. After concurrent, late-afternoon workshop sessions, join the MASCA Awards Reception from 5:00-6:30 p.m. to hear the announcement of MASCA award recipients and celebrate with honorees. Monday, 50th Birthday Celebrations The Exhibit Hall will be a beehive of activity. Exhibits and a hearty breakfast kick off the morning events, which will include a keynoter and outstanding workshop sessions. The 50th Birthday Luncheon speaker is Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray. Join this event as we honor MASCA Past Presidents, Executive Directors, Life Trustees, and O.S.C.A.R. winners. Plans include presentation of MASCA proclamations, a few special surprise awards, and cameo guests including Dr. Ron Fredrickson, who is flying in from Kansas to join us. The afternoon of outstanding conference workshops will also include a Retiree Social and special retiree workshop. The final celebration event is the MASCA/ MARCH 2011

MASCA Call for Nominations 2011-2012 Elected Officers The following elected positions need to be filled in 2011: President-Elect, Vice President Elementary, Vice President Secondary, and Vice President Postsecondary. Each elected position is for a two-year term, with the exception of the position of President-Elect, which is a three-year commitment. If you are interested or know someone who is, please submit a nomination form. A form has been included in this issue of the Notebook, and a copy is also available on the MASCA website, www.masca.org. Descriptions of the positions and a list of duties can be found on the MASCA website. To make a nomination, send a completed nomination form to Christine Evans, Randolph High School Guidance Dept., 70 Memorial Parkway, Randolph, MA 02368 or e-mail nominations to Immediate Past President Christine Evans at evansc@randolph.k12.ma.us. Candidates will be elected by a ballot vote at the annual spring conference in April.

Art Athletic Training Biology Business Management Chemistry Communication Computer Information Systems Compute Science Criminal Justice Economics Education English Environmental Science Ethnic and Gender Studies General Science History Liberal Studies Mathematics Movement Science Music Nursing Political Science Psychology Regional Planning Social Work Sociology Spanish Theatre Arts

Appointed Officers As per the MASCA By-Laws, we seek to fill the annual slate of appointed positions: Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Coordinator of Membership, Counselor’s Notebook Editor, Technology Coordinator, and Coordinator of Professional Development. Job descriptions for each position can be found on the MASCA website, www.masca.org. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, send a resume and letter of intent no later than March 15 to Carolyn Richards, Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 or e-mail President Carolyn Richards at crichards@ k12.somerville.ma.us. Applicants will be interviewed by a screening committee. Upon completion of the interview process, the screening committee will then make recommendations to the Executive Council and the Governing Board.

Committee Chairs As per the MASCA By-Laws, we seek to fill the following Committee Chair positions: Conference Committee, Fiscal Oversight Committee, Professional Development Committee, Research & Evaluation Committee, and Technology Committee. Job descriptions for each position can be found on the MASCA website, www.masca.org. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, send a resume and letter of intent no later than March 15 to Michelle Burke, Beverly High School, 100 Sohier Road, Beverly, MA 01915-2653, or you can e-mail President-elect Michelle Burke at mburke@ beverlyschools.org. Applicants will be interviewed by a screening committee. Upon completion of the interview process, the screening committee will then make recommendations to the Executive Council. ■

Private quality. Public value. Discover more by visiting us online at wsc.ma.edu. Westfield State Office of Admission Post Office Box 1630 · Westfield, MA 01086 (413) 572-5218 · wsc.ma.edu COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA Spring Conference Keynoters MASCA’s spring conference will feature several keynoters. Included among them:

MASCA Officers Nomination Form 2011 -2012 DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF NOMINATIONS: MARCH 15, 2011 Nominations may be submitted by either of the following: 1) An affiliate association with authorized signature, or 2) The signatures of ten (10) MASCA members. Mail to: Christine Evans MASCA Past President Randolph High School Guidance Dept. 70 Memorial Parkway Randolph, MA 02368 Or e-mail nominations to: evansc@randolph.k12.ma.us

NORMAN C. GYSBERS, Ph.D. Norman C. Gysbers, Ph.D., is Professor with Distinction in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of MissouriColumbia. He is author of 81 articles, 33 chapters in published books, 15 monographs, and 17 books. His Career Counseling: Process, Issues, and Techniques has been published in Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. His research and teaching interests are in career development, career counseling, and school guidance and counseling program development, management, and evaluation.

Nomination submitted by: ___________________________________________ Affiliate association: ________________________________________________ Authorized signature: _______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________________________________ Telephone number: _________________________________________________ • Nominees must be paid-up members of MASCA and have indicated a willingness to serve. • The President-elect automatically becomes President. • The slate will consist of President-elect, VP Elementary, VP Secondary, and VP Postsecondary. MASCA Members:

School Address:

KEITH WESTRICH Keith Westrich is the Director of College and Career Readiness for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s Center for Student Support, Career and Education Services. He manages and oversees initiatives designed to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and economically viable career pathways. Previously, Westrich led the Department’s Connecting Activities initiative, which provided resources and technical assistance to the 16 local Workforce Investment Boards and 15 local Schoolto-Career Partnerships. ■ MARCH 2011

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Duties for each position can be found at www.masca.org. Election by ballot vote will be held at the Annual Spring Conference in April.

MASCA Officers Nominee Information Sheet 2011 -2012 Office: _________________________________________________

Educational background: ___________________________ ____________________________________________________

Nominee: ______________________________________________ Position now held: ______________________________________ School address: _________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ Home address: _________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ Professional affiliations: ____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Please attach a recent photograph of the candidate.

COUNSELORâ€™S NOTEBOOK

MARCH 2011

2011 Leadership Forum for Massachusetts School Counselors on Beacon Hill March 16, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For information, contact Bob Bardwell, 413-267-4589 x1107 or bardwellr@monsonschools.com

Looking Back to the Future By JOE FITZGERALD MASCA Technology Committee Chair “Sometimes you have to look back in order to look forward.” I’m not sure if someone has said this. If not, I want to take credit for this quote. Because I recently passed a significant birthday, I began to look back and think about what transpired over the years for me. MASCA is doing the same as its fiftieth birthday approaches. Recently, I came across the September 1970 issue of MASCA’s Counselor’s Notebook. The middle section had two pages of pictures entitled “Scenes from the Annual Meeting.” Included was a picture of me at a spring conference session. At least, I think it was me! At that time I was a new junior high school counselor in Randolph and about a year into a CAGS Counselor Education Program at Northeastern University. I probably joined MASCA in 1969, when it was a very young organization. Now, forty plus years have passed and MASCA is fifty years old. Hard to believe! We have come a long way. From a technology point of view, we have also come a long way. Back then, technology in our guidance office consisted of an electric typewriter, a filmstrip projector, and an overhead projector. If you were lucky, you got to use the only 16mm film projector in the school. Early in the technology revolution, I missed much of what was going on. At home, a VHS player was my first real exposure to technology. These players became more prevalent in school and became essential teaching tools. After thirteen years as an elementary, middle, and high school counselor, I moved to Milton as Director of Guidance. There I had my first real introduction to technology when the Superintendent purchased a $6,000 Digital Corporation, dedicated word processor for the guidance department. All of us in the department were amazed by its quality and the ability it gave us to correct mistakes on the screen COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

before printing out a document. It never occurred to us that we still had to write or type our recommendations and then have the secretary enter them onto an 8inch floppy disk. She printed the document, we proofed it, and she made the revisions. It was such an improvement over typing. Although the word processor took up a lot of space with its console, screen, and large printer, it was wonderful. From that point on into the mid- to late-1980s, technology took off. Students used Radio Shack word processors in the classroom and actually took home the TRS-80 word processors from the school library. Apple and Microsoft grew at a rapid pace, getting increasingly smaller in size and more powerful in features.

accomplished by the Technology Committees past and present. Our organization’s website — www.masca.org — has been improved and changed. It includes information for guidance professionals, particularly for MASCA members. We are finishing the second phase of developing the site, and continued improvements will take place in the future.

A future in the past Looking back can help us look at technology with a critical eye. Then we can

focus clearly on important issues and move forward into this new information era without rose-colored glasses. The oftforgotten past, most certainly, holds lessons for us on how to make a better future. I am so glad to have been involved as both a member and committee participant. I have met many wonderful people and have learned a great deal from them. My association with MASCA has helped me in both my personal life and professional career. Happy 50th Birthday, MASCA! ■

Using technology today Just the act of my writing this article attests to how far technology and I have come. I am writing it on a laptop computer with my feet up, editing it on the fly. I am also wirelessly connected to the Internet and watching Masterpiece Classic’s “Downton Abbey,” which I recorded a couple of nights ago. Fifty years ago we used words and information to help our constituents. Today we are doing the same thing, just differently. Every time we use the Internet today, we deal with words, information, and reading. Only the medium has changed. One big difference is the amount of information we have to analyze. As the texters write: TMI (too much information)! MASCA has embraced technology to enhance the profession. This technology has not replaced us; rather, it supports what we do and makes our jobs easier. Technology simplifies our daily routine by quickly giving us information about college admissions, career information, scheduling ….The ability to search out seemingly infinite information almost instantly is mind-boggling. Motivated students can access this information in our guidance offices, the library, and at home. This can create responsible students and parents. Guidance counselors are still there to guide and advise. In this column over the last several years, we have described what has been MARCH 2011

A Super Goal for Bryant

ED’S VIEWS By ED BRYANT MASCA Life Trustee

Ed Bryant, past MASCA Executive Director (age 85), scores a touchdown at the Bryant Annual Thanksgiving Day Football Game. His son-in-law helps to push him over the goal line (not that Ed has ever needed much help in forging ahead).

anuary 2011: Snow, snow, snow. Global warming? My plowing bill for the long driveway — ouch! Plus leak in the roof. It’s been a winter of stress for many. Dr. Claire Michaels has some recommendations for beating stress: (1) Evaluate stress, (2) Get a good night’s sleep, (3) Breathe properly, (4) Watch what you eat, (5) Get organized, (6) Call friends, (7) Practice random acts of kindness. Mary, Oscar, and other 50th Birthday Celebration Committee members: Well done! Here are a few more memories for our birthday: • During my term as executive director we developed “Financial Policies and Procedures.” The 1988-1989 balance was $25,270. From memberships we received $21,322. We discontinued publication of the “Calendar Notebook.” • Some of the meetings of NSGDA dealt with the difference between scheduling and programming. My thoughts were: programming is guidance, whereas scheduling belongs with the principal. On one Visiting Team trip a high school counselor told me that he devoted most of second semester doing the scheduling for his large high school. He hardly ever saw a student. Sound familiar? • Working with Louise Forsyth on her Boston SPGA convention was a learning experience. Regarding recruiting (for MASCA, not the military). For our birthday celebration year, every member should try to recruit one new member. This effort would help make MASCA a stronger organization. “The mold of a man’s future is in his hands.” (Francis Bacon) What is the future of MASCA in the next fifty years? ■

Celebrate the past and plan for the future. Attend MASCA’s Spring Conference. 18

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MARCH 2011

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

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CHANGE OF ADDRESS:

NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 96

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Send this form to: Deborah Clemence P.O. Box 805 East 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.

YEARS

1961

2011

MASCA 2011 Spring Conference and 50th Birthday Celebration

2011

YEARS

1961

April 10 -12, 2011 Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore, Danvers GREAT PROGRAMS • GREAT PRICES • GREAT SPEAKERS Graduate Student Events • Exciting Exhibits • MA Model Showcase MASCA Awards and Tributes • Birthday Reception Sunday afternoon keynoter: Dr. Norm Gysbers Monday morning keynoter: Dr. Barbara Reinhold, career coach and counselor Monday 50th Birthday Luncheon Speaker: Lt. Gov. Timothy Murphy Tuesday morning keynoter: Dr. Richard T. Lapan, Ph.D., Professor, UMass Amherst, MASCA Research and Evaluation Committee Chair Tuesday luncheon keynoter: Keith Westrich, Director of Career & College Readiness, Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

For more details and to register, go to www.masca.org. Inquiries: Helen O’Donnell, Conference Chair, pdchair@masca.org