The week of February 5-9 was officially designated as National School Counseling Week. Our district is lucky enough to have seven counselors between the three schools. In the elementary school we have Counselors Trauner and Hirschmann. In the Intermediate School there is Mrs. Hirschmann and Mr. Anthony. In the middle-high school building there are four counselors: Mr. McGinnity is the counselor for the middle school, Mr. Gibson is the counselor for eighth and ninth grades, and Mrs. Audet and Mrs. Dow are the two high school counselors.
Counselors are very important, they work one-on-one with students, helping them with a variety of things. From their personal problems, to their academics, the guidance counselors are always willing to provide assistance. All of the counselors are very appreciated by every student and faculty member in the Corry Area School District. We thank our counselors for everything they do for us and our community.
Corry School District Superintendent Mrs. Yetzer, was asked how impactful and beneficial all seven guidance counselors within the district are. Yetzer said, “I will say that our team of guidance counselors work well together to meet the needs of our students district wide. I really would approach them as a team and not point out a single individual because when you have seven amazing counselors in one district they rely on each other to make sure that the students are well looked after. The district is really blessed to have guidance counselors who are 100 percent committed to our students. The impact of all seven are significant and we could not do what we do as far as meeting the needs of our students without them. They truly are a strong support system for our district as a whole.”
Students across the school district were asked about their views on the guidance counselor of their choice, and all responses touched on some aspect of how helpful and approachable the counselor’s are. Their responses were:
Senior Cooper Slocum commented about Mrs. Audet: “Any sort of time I have trouble I just go down there and she reassures me and she helps me with college things, and she listens and I can go with her with any concern and she would approach it as a concerned friend. She’s a very comforting person and I’m glad we have a resource like her without a routine institutionalized response and viewpoint. She was always on the ball, and helpful with things that were brought to her. She’s very much taking the extra mile to the next level, and involved in others.”
Junior Halle Albers mentioned how Mrs. Dow is a “very friendly person and has a warm personality which allows me, and other students, to open up and talk to her about things. She’s always there to listen to thoughts and concerns no matter what.”
Eighth-grader Naomi Brown said Mr. Gibson is “very nice and very helpful. He’s very helpful with scheduling, and guiding students through academic obstacles. He was very nice with helping me catch up with school, and he’s very understanding.”
Sixth-grader Grace Gradler commented how Mr. McGinnity “really helps when you feel upset. He helps me on sad days, and gets me through it…”
Fifth-grade student, Jenna Richards, commented on both Mr. Anthony and Mrs. Hirschmann. She said, “They are so kind and supportive. They are always willing to listen if you need to talk. They help the kids that need it, and care about everyone in our school. We love them so much!”
Third-grade student Ruby Johnson mentioned how Mr. Anthony and Mrs. Hirschmann “really help us.” She also mentioned how, “whenever we talk she [Mrs. Hirschman] puts toys in front of us and we can play.”
First-grader Kamrynn Brink said Mrs. Trauner, “teaches us lessons on what’s good and what’s bad. Like when we play tag that you shouldn’t push people down. I like it when she comes in and teaches lessons, it makes me happy. Her lessons show me what I should do and what not to do.”
Below is a short informational textbox about each of the guidance counselors to get to know them more!
