Counselor's Notebook, January 2010

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION JANUARY 2010VOL. 46, NO. 5

MASCA

MASCA’s New Website: Up and RunningBy JOE FITZGERALD

MASCA Technology Committee Chairperson

F or the last several years and two sum-mer Leadership Development Insti-

tutes, technology has been a MASCApriority. With the support of the MASCAExecutive and Governing Boards, theMASCA website has been completelyre-designed.

The previous website, which has servedus in good stead for many years, was com-pletely overhauled by a professional webdesigner under the leadership of MASCATechnology Coordinator, Ron Miller, andthe Technology Committee. The new sitehas many features that make the site user-friendly and a great resource for coun-selors and their constituents.

Though the site is new and still under -going development, all counselors shouldvisit it frequently. The tabs on the homepage, which are typical of a well-designedweb page, will direct you to a wealth ofinformation. There is information aboutMASCA and its affiliates, professionaldevelopment opportunities (under Events/Conferences), and resources for coun sel -ors. There is even a tab for MA ModelResources.

The Members tab provides informa-tion about membership and is dividedinto three areas:

• Become a Member• Membership Benefits• Members-Only Area Because you are reading this issue of

the Counselor’s Notebook, I assume that

you are already a member and that youknow the benefits of membership.

In the third section, our Members-OnlyArea, you can search our member direc-tory, renew your membership, registerfor conferences, and create a Profile foryourself. More features are currently inthe works.

To access the Members-Only Area,click HERE. When you do so, you willbe asked for a username and password.Most members do not know these the firsttime they enter this section. However,when you fill out the “forgotten usernameand password request,” your usernameand password will be immediately e-mailed to you. Your member number willalso be included in the e-mail. Once youare in the Members-Only Area, we en -cour age you to update your profile andmake sure that the information is correct.

To check on the expiration date of yourmembership, look at the mailing label onthe back page of the Notebook. The ex -piration date is located above your name.

You will get reminders by e-mail, aswell, when your membership is due to beupdated. (That is, if you have updatedyour profile to include your current e-mail address!)

If you have any trouble with ourMembers-Only pages, please contact thewebmaster: [email protected]. Welook forward to having you visit us oftenat the new www.masca.org. ■

A New Year,A New Opportunity

By JENNIFER LISKMASCA VP Secondary

JENNIFER LISK

A s you have probably heard by now,the 2010 ASCA Conference will be

held in Boston this summer from July 3to July 6. As on-site chair, I am lookingfor volunteers to help make this confer-ence a success.

There are opportunities to act as hostsat a table highlighting what Boston andMassachusetts have to offer. Or you canvolunteer to monitor sessions, collecttick ets, help with registration, or helpwith exhibits.

Volunteers will receive a $25 gift cer-tificate to be used at the ASCA bookstoreduring the conference. Anyone who isin terested in volunteering, whether it’sfor an hour, a day or several days, pleasecontact me at [email protected]. ■

MASCA Annual Spring ConferenceConnecting Counselors in the 21st Century

April 11-13, 2010Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore (formerly, Sheraton Ferncroft) • MASCA room rate: $89/room

Monday Luncheon Keynoter: Laurie Young

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]

JANUARY 2010 3

January 2010

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.

©2010 by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.All rights reserved.

4 Taking Care of BusinessBy Christine Evans

6 What Is Your Goal for the New Year?By Ruth Carrigan

7 MASCA Government Relations UpdateBy Bob Bardwell

8 Your Tax Dollar at WorkBy Donna Brown

10 MASCA Awards 2009-2010 Nomination Form

12 MASCA Annual Spring Conference Registration Form

14 Celebrate National School Counseling WeekBy Celeste Cianfrani

MASCA

Taking Care of BusinessBy CHRISTINE EVANS

MASCA President


Well, it is officially the New Year.Happy 2010!

I am excited and enthusiastic becauseJanuary is a time for resolutions, newbe ginnings, and a fresh start in the NewYear. Perhaps we started back to schoolin September with an ambitious plan ofobjectives and goals for the 2009-2010year and have not yet made the progresswe hoped for. Now is a perfect time to takeinventory, assess what progress we havemade, and take the steps to move ahead.

This is the beginning of a new calendaryear; in the schools we are approachingthe mid-year point. It is a great time totake care of business, and it may meanwe need to re-evaluate our plans for theyear and make adjustments.

It is not too late to accomplish what

we set out to do, to revise our plans forthe rest of the year. Some of us may findwe are on schedule or even ahead of sche -dule. In that case, is there something elsethat needs attention that can be addedto the plan for this year? Are we satis-

fied with how the year is going thus far?What can we do better? Have we doneall we can to reach our students?

In terms of professional development,we also need to check our progress. Havewe attended any workshops, trainings,or conferences? Have we had the oppor-tunity to share best practices with our col-leagues and learn from them about whatis new and exciting in their schools?

There are great graduate courses beingoffered for the spring semester at the col-leges and universities with counselor edu-cation programs, and it is not too late toregister.

This spring and summer, we will havetwo fantastic opportunities to attend highquality conferences. Pencil in the follow-ing dates on your calendar: April 11-13,for the MASCA Annual Spring Confer-ence. It will be held in a new location ina lovely hotel and conference center inDanvers. Helen O’Donnell and the con-ference program committee have beenworking hard to provide excellent key -notes, breakouts and workshops.

The ASCA National Conference willbe in Massachusetts this year from July3-6. This will be a wonderful opportu-nity to meet school counselors from allover the country. I hope you will con-sider attending both conferences, as theyhave so much to offer.

This is also the time for MASCA totake stock of our year thus far. Are wedoing what we planned for this year tocontinue to improve and grow our schoolcounselor association? One thing we canall do is invite a colleague who is not yeta member to join MASCA. If all of yourcounselor friends and colleagues are al -ready members, this is a great time tojoin a committee or consider being nom-inated to serve as an officer. It is not toolate to get involved. There is plenty to doand wonderful, rewarding collegial friend -ships. Taking care of business is impor-tant in all our endeavors.

Take up the challenge to move aheadas a school counselor. Do this by takinga look at where we are, making a decisionabout where we want to be, making aplan, and then taking action to get there.

I wish you happiness and success inthe New Year! ■

CHRISTINE EVANS

MASCA 2009-2010Moving All School Counselors Ahead

JANUARY 2010 5

What Is Your Goal for the New Year?By RUTH CARRIGAN

MASCA VP Administrators


W ith the New Year upon us, it is agood time to think about one thing

we can do to improve the counseling cur-riculum in our schools. With the chal-lenges that school counselors face (toolittle time, too little funding for worthyprojects, etc.), it can be difficult to moveforward. Despite the obstacles, I en cour -age you to keep the positive energy flow-ing and pick one project to work on forthe coming year.

For my department at Whitman-Han-son Regional High School, a project thatwe tackled not long ago was implement-ing early college planning into our cur-riculum.

Our school counseling program hadalways done a good job with high schooljuniors and seniors. We have a traditionof hosting excellent parent programs forboth age groups, and we always soughtfeedback and collected data about ourprograms via an evaluation tool.

RUTH CARRIGAN

What we started to hear from parentslast year was that they wanted to knowmore about the college admissions processearlier in their children’s high schoolcareer. Armed with that information/data,we set out to develop an early college plan-ning program for parents and students.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with com-mitments, I turned to my graduate in ternsfor help. We worked together to developa comprehensive program for parents ofninth and tenth graders that we called“Getting Ready for College – An EarlyCollege Planning Workshop.” We devel-oped an informative PowerPoint presen-tation, included a video clip of Kelly Wal-ter, Director of Admissions at BostonUniversity, that gave students and par-ents some pointers on the college admis-sions process, and put together some greathandouts with resources for parents.

The counseling staff, guidance interns,and I were part of the presentation teamfor the evening parent program, and ourworkshop was a great success. We hadparents complete an evaluation tool, andwe received lots of positive feedback.The program was such a success that wedecided to make it an official part of ourschool counseling curriculum.

This year, after making a few modifi-cations with the help of our current grad-uate intern, we ran the program again inlate October, and we developed a versionthat was presented to all ninth gradersduring Freshmen Survival Seminar. Thefeedback we’ve received indicates thatwe’ve made a systemic change and thatwe are doing a better job than ever in

helping our students make a plan for lifeafter high school.

If doing more with early college plan-ning is a goal of your department, I en -courage you to put together a programthat works for you and your students.You can find some excellent resourcesfrom the Massachusetts Educational Fi -nancing Authority (MEFA).

MEFA supplied Whitman-Hanson withboth “MEFA’s Student Workbook forEarly College Planning” and “MEFA’sParent Guide to Early College Planning”for our workshop attendees. MEFA alsohas a very good PowerPoint presentationthat you can download from their web-site, www.mefa.org. It provides a lot of

solid advice for students and parents, andit can be modified with your own school-specific information. To access all of thesefree materials and get a complete list ofavailable resources, go to the “GuidanceCounselor” section of the MEFA website.

If you’d like more information aboutour program, feel free to contact me. Iwill be happy to share our presentationmaterials.

With over 60% of jobs in Massachu-setts requiring postsecondary training, Ican’t think of a better goal for the NewYear than to help create a college-goingculture for our students through early col-lege planning. Whatever the need in yourschool, I wish you luck as you take onthe challenge of providing comprehen-sive school counseling services to yourstudents.

As always, if you are doing somethinginteresting and innovative that is helpingyour school and your students, pleasecontact me at [email protected]’s spread the word about programsand services that can make a differencein the lives of our students. ■

An early college planningprogram for students and parentshelps to create a college-goingculture in the school.

MASCA Government Relations UpdateBy BOB BARDWELL

MASCA Government Relations Committee Chair

T he Government Relations Commit-tee continues to work on moving our

two bills out of Committee. Even thoughthe legislature is not currently in formalsession, we still need MASCA membersto contact the seventeen members of theJoint Education Committee and ask themto support HB 470 & 471.

For specific details about the bills, howto communicate with legislators and tohear the testimony from the October hear-ing, go to http://www.masca.org/index.php/government-relations-news.

The Government Relations Commit-tee is also working on plans for the 2010Leadership Day on Beacon Hill on Wed -nesday, March 10. Please plan on attend-ing to show your support and help makelegislators aware of just how importantschool counselors are to the students ofthe Commonwealth. Look for more de -tails in the February Notebook, in youre-mail and on MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

Our committee meets monthly via con-ference call. If you have any questionsor want to become more involved withMASCA’s advocacy efforts, contact meat [email protected].

Members of the Joint Committee are:

Sen. Robert O’Leary of Cape and Islands,Chair

Robert.O’[email protected]

Sen. Kenneth Donnelly of FourthMiddlesex, Vice-Chair

[email protected]

Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Second Suffolk [email protected]

Sen. Anthony Galluccio of Middlesex,Suffolk and Essex

[email protected]

Sen. Susan Tucker of Second Essex andMiddlesex

[email protected]

Sen. Scott Brown of Norfolk, Bristol andMiddlesex

[email protected]

Rep. Martha Walz of Boston, [email protected]

Rep. Allen McCarthy of East Bridgewater,Vice-Chair

[email protected]

Rep. Jeffery Perry of Sandwich [email protected]

Rep. Geraldo Alicea of Charlton [email protected]

Rep. Rosemary Sandlin of Agawam [email protected]

Rep. Katherine Clark of Melrose [email protected]

Rep. Jennifer Benson of Lunenburg [email protected] ■

Rep. Richard Ross of Wrentham [email protected]

Rep. Lida Harkins of Needham [email protected]

Rep. John Rogers of Norwood [email protected]

Rep. Stephen Canessa of New Bedford [email protected]

JANUARY 2010 7

Your Tax Dollar at WorkBy DONNA BROWN

MASCA Executive Director


F irst of all, best wishes for a veryhappy new year. One of the resolu-

tions I might make for 2010 is to learnmore about the free materials and infor-mation available from the federal gov ern -ment—your tax dollar at work. Today,I would like to share one of the federalwebsites that can help make your life alot easier.

Disabilities.gov is an absolute goldmine. There one can find informationabout financial aid for students with

disabilities, hints for parents of disabledstudents, and even two online modules bythe Center for Applied Special Technology(CAST) that introduce the theory, prin-ciples, and application of Universal Designfor Learning (UDL) to teacher and schoolcounselor candidates and in-service teach -ers and school counselors. The TA Centeron Positive Behavioral Interventions andSupports (CPBIS) has been establishedby the Office of Special Education Pro-grams, US Department of Education togive schools capacity-building informa-tion and technical assistance for identi-fying, adapting, and sustaining effectiveschool-wide disciplinary practices.

This site also provides a great deal ofinformation for students themselves. Oneinteresting example is Tips for Teens: UseYour IEP Meetings to Learn How to Ad -vocate for Yourself. Here students canobtain information on how to begin toexpress their needs and wants by partic-ipating in their Individualized Education

Program (IEP) meetings. At these meet -ings, teens can learn ways to talk abouttheir disability to others, set goals, buildteamwork skills, ask for accommodation,and practice other self-advocacy skills.

Another really useful file, My FutureMy Plan: A Transition Planning Resourcefor Life After High School, provides anexcellent curriculum designed to motivateand guide students with disabilities andtheir families as they begin early transi-tion planning for life after high school.

National Youth Leadership Networksite promotes leadership development,education, employment, independent liv-ing, health and wellness among youngpeople with disabilities.

For parents, there are also a numberof interesting references that can answerquestions and provide information toassist their child. Four of the most pop-ular files are:

• 10 Basic Steps in Special Educa-tion: information about the process bywhich children are identified as having adisability and in need of special educa-tion and related services.

• 25 Parent Tips for More EffectiveIEP Meetings: ideas parents should keepin mind before, during and after an In -dividualized Education Program (IEP)meeting with their child’s teachers.

• Center for Effective Collaboration &Practice: information and resources to im-prove the education of children and youthwith emotional and behavioral problems.

• Developing Your Child’s IEP: ex -plains the basics of the special educationprocess and Individualized EducationPlans (IEPs), and provides information onhow to be an effective partner with yourchild’s school.

Take some time at the www.Disabilities.gov website. Working with students withdisabilities is an area where counselorsoften have to learn “on the run.” Veryfew of us have more than a basic intro-duction to special education when we firstbegin as professional school counselors.Indeed, most school counselors learnabout IEPs and 504s as on-the-job train-ing. Thus, even “vets” will benefit fromthe materials presented on this site. Thisis really a terrific example of your taxdollar at work! ■

DONNA BROWN

JANUARY 2010 9

www.mcphs.edu | 800.225.5506

At MCPHS we’re all about health care.

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


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: Acurrent MASCA member and a li censedcounselor serving during the current schoolyear in an elementary, secondary, or post -secon dary school or in a local or regionalschool system and who has made outstand -ing contributions to his/her school. The re -cipient will have excellent rapport withpupils, parents, and school personnel andis a high ly respected 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.

MASCA Torch Award, Rising Star:An indi vi dual who has entered the schoolcounseling profession within the last fiveyears. The award winner is a model fornew counselors, demonstrating the high -est standards of professional competence,outstanding contributions to the schoolcommunity and/or profession, and ex cel -lent rapport with students, parents, andschool personnel.

MASCA Torch Award, RetiringCounselor: A counselor who is retir-ing in the current year or has retired with -in the last five years. This counselor hasserved as a model for new counselors,demonstrating highest standards of pro-fessional competence and excellent rap-port with students, parents, and schoolpersonnel and has made outstanding con-tributions to the school 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. ■

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.

JANUARY 2010 11

Massachusetts School Counselors Association Annual Spring Conference

April 11-13, 2010 Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore, Danvers, MA

(formerly Sheraton Ferncroft) Conference Inquiries: Helen O’Donnell, Conference Chair, [email protected]

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM

• Member registration rates: MASCA membership must be current (PAID by credit card or check) by March 17. Purchase orders in process are NOT considered paid. Check membership status at [email protected].

• Paper registration: Print clearly, one registration form per person. Mailed form must be accompanied by check or PO. • If you are employed as a full-time professional school counselor, you may not register at the graduate student rate. • To request online CVENT registration, e-mail Ron Miller, [email protected]. Confirmations by e-mail only. • Payment options: (1) online with credit cards (M/C or Visa, no debit), (2) offline with check or purchase order. • Refund policy: Send requests in writing by March 30 to [email protected]. A $20 processing fee will be charged.

No refunds after March 30 without written approval by conference chair (Ex., bereavement). Payment expected for registrant non-attendance.

• Registrant name and work mailing address will be shared with select sponsors. To opt out, send e-mail to • Hotel reservations ($89 MASCA rooms), 978-777-2500, http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/bosns • If you have special needs or require an accommodation, please notify us by April 2.

FIRST NAME _______________________________ LAST NAME__________________________________________

Elementary Middle School High School Administrator Retired Grad Student Counselor Educator

E-mail address (required for automated electronic confirmation): _____________________________________________

Preferred mailing address: Home Work/School name: ___________________________________ Street address: __________________________________________________________ City/town: __________________________________________ State: ______________ Zip: ________________

Requesting vegetarian meals Yes First MASCA Conference? Yes No

MASCA Professional

Member by 3/17

Non-MASCA Member

Retiree or Graduate Student* (*not employed as a school counselor) Member Non-member

INCLUSIVE REGISTRATION includes ALL conference days and attendee events. Sunday: First-Timers/Graduate Student Reception, Graduate Student Events, Poster Sessions, Workshops, Keynoter, Welcome Reception Monday: Breakfast, Keynote, Workshops, Exhibits, Poster Sessions, Snack Breaks, Luncheon, Afternoon Reception, Evening Party Tuesday: Breakfast, Keynote, Workshops, Exhibits, Poster Sessions, Snack Breaks, Luncheon, Administrator Partnership events SUPER-SAVER: CK/CC, no POs, ends 3/1 $225 $280 $145 $160

EARLY BIRD ends 3/17 $240 $299 $155 $170

REGULAR registration begins 3/18 $265 $315 $165 $180

OTHER REGISTRATION OPTIONS: Sunday only - Early Bird ends 3/17 $ 90 $105 $50 $ 65 Sunday only - Regular registration begins 3/18 $100 $145 $60 $ 70 Monday only - Early Bird ends 3/17 $115 $165 $70 $ 85 Monday only - Regular registration begins 3/18 $135 $185 $80 $ 95 Tuesday only - Early Bird ends 3/17 $115 $165 $70 $ 85

Tuesday only - Regular registration begins 3/18 $135 $185 $80 $ 95

Sun. & Mon. - Early Bird ends 3/17 $200 $265 $115 $145

Sun. & Mon. - Regular registration begins 3/18 $230 $305 $135 $160

Mon. & Tues. - Early Bird ends 3/17 $225 $305 $135 $165

Mon. & Tues. - Regular registration begins 3/18 $265 $345 $150 $180

SUBTOTAL

WALK-IN registration: Add $20 to total $20 $20 $20 $ 20 MASCA PDPs: Add $25 to total $25 $25 $25 $ 25 PO processing fee: Add $10/invoice $10 $10 $10 $ 10

TOTAL TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED $____________ CHECK No.____________ PURCHASE ORDER #_______________

[email protected].


Connecting Counselors in the 21st Century50YEARS

1961

2011

Registrants using POs will be electronically sent an invoice, which should be submitted for payment via school/business protocol.List registrant names on PO.

Make checks payable to MASCA and mail to Joe Fitzgerald, Registrar, 5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA [email protected]

JANUARY 2010 13

MASCA selects conference keynoter: Laurie Young

A ccording to the Laughter Worksweb site, in the past five years,

Laurie has hiked the Inca Trail, attemptedthe potter’s wheel and paper mache,dropped out of unicycle classes, takenAmerican Sign Language, become certi-fied in high ropes res cue and climbed Mt.Washington. With Kay Caskey she tookup the sport of joggling, which is jug-gling and jogging at the same time. Theyset two world records and won ten goldmedals in international joggling compe-titions. The two also have some impres-sive hiking credentials. In the summerof 2003, they both summited Mt. Kili-manjaro and three years later they com-pleted a seventeen-day trek to Mt. Ever-est Base Camp.

However, many people recognize Lau-rie as the funny speaker who taught themhow to juggle. That’s not surprising be -

cause Kay and Laurie have taught over100,000 people to juggle! Teaching jug-gling is just a part of what Laurie does.As co-owner and creator of LaughterWorks, Laurie has given over 600 work-shops, speeches, and training seminarsto such diverse groups as the AmericanAcademy of Entrepreneurs, the Interna-tional Humor Conference, the AmericanAssociation for Counseling and Develop -ment, and the National Council on Aging.She also is an adjunct professor at West-ern Michigan University where she teachesa wide variety of courses through theHolistic Health Department includingHealth and Humor, Holistic Approachesto Successful Aging, and Holistic Ap -proach es to Play Across the Life-Span.

Laurie earned a B.A. in Social Scienceand English from Michigan State Univer-sity and an M.A. in Counseling and Per-

sonnel Services from Western MichiganUniversity. She is a licensed professionalcounselor and is a national certified coun-selor. Additionally, she has a Specialtyin Holistic Health from Western Michi-gan University and certification in Crit-ical Incident Stress Management.

Most recently, Laurie has been re -search ing and teaching brain learningstrategies. Here she has found a naturalconnection between the brain and humor.At the MASCA conference, she will sharesome of what she has learned in an up -beat, humorous way in her keynote andbreakout session. In fact, a testimonialfrom Carol Glazier, educational coordi-nator at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, saidthat she has “the rare gift of making acomplex subject enjoyable yet educa-tional.” We hope everyone will plan to at -tend these upbeat, informative sessions. ■

Help WantedThe Conference Committee is looking for a school counselor or team on the North Shore to be responsible for stuffing con-ference bags and transporting them to the Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore in Danvers on Saturday or Sunday morning ofthe conference. Volunteers qualify for reduced conference registration rates. Contact Helen O’Donnell at [email protected].

The Conference Committee is looking for a school coun-selor or team on the North Shore to be responsible for stuff-ing conference bags and transporting them to the CrownePlaza Boston North Shore in Danvers on Saturday or Sunday

morning of the conference. Volunteers qualify for reducedconference registration rates. Contact Helen O’Donnell [email protected].


Celebrate National School Counseling WeekBy CELESTE CIANFRANI

MASCA Awards and Publicity Chair

M ark your calendars. NationalSchool Counseling Week will be

celebrated from February 1-5 to focuspublic attention on the unique contribu-tions of professional school counselorswithin U.S. school systems.

This year’s theme, “Celebrate SchoolCounseling,” offers school counselors theideal opportunity to show the tremendousimpact we can have in helping students

achieve school success and plan for a ful -filling future. MASCA encourages you touse NSCW as a platform to promote animproved understanding of the role ofthe school counselor and what compre-hensive school counseling programs con-tribute to our schools and communities.

Using some simple, yet effective, pub-lic relations strategies, you can commu-nicate the meaningful work you do and

the positive influences you have in stu-dents’ lives every day to students, staff,parents/guardians, and your community.Here are a few suggestions:

• Have a proclamation signed by thedistrict superintendent, mayor or other dig-nitary official declaring February 1-5, 2010as National School Counseling Week.

• Show your appreciation by present-ing someone who has been especially sup-portive of your school counseling pro-gram with a Certificate of Appreciation.

• Start each day of the week with aspecial morning announcement from theschool counseling department.

• Issue a National School CounselingWeek press release to local newspapers.

• Contact your local newspaper ortelevision station and ask to have a storyrun about your school counseling pro-gram during the week.

• Contact your local Community Ac -cess Television Station to help you pub-licize National School Counseling Weekand your school counseling program.

• Host an open house to inform andeducate students, staff, and parents /guardians about your role in the schooland what you do to promote the acade-mic, personal/social, and career devel op -ment of all students.

• Create a brochure describing yourschool counseling program to distributeto parents/guardians.

• Produce a daily newsletter for staffhighlighting a topic (e.g., suicide, depres-sion, substance abuse, Internet safety) thatimpacts students in your community.

To assist you in your campaign, ASCAoffers a National School Counseling WeekKit, which includes posters, stickers, pen-cils, a sample press release, a countdowncalendar, and a number of other usefultools for building and promoting yourschool counseling program. To learn moreor to purchase the kit, visit the ASCAweb site at www.schoolcounselor.org. ■

Save the Date!MA Model Institutes

July 14-15, 2010Dean College

JANUARY 2010 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, January 2010

Documents

Transcript of Counselor's Notebook, January 2010