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!
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Mrs. AudetMrs. Audet has been a high school counselor for 17 years, and all 17 were spent at CHS. Mrs. Audet was born in Clymer, and later moved to Corry where she graduated. She received her Bachelor's in Psychology at Penn State Behrend and went to UNC-Chapel Hill for her Master's of Education in School Counseling. After getting her master's, she briefly worked as a Behavioral Specialist and mobile therapist in Indiana, PA. Then, she saw an opening at Corry and started her school counseling career.
When asked, “What made you pursue the course of being a guidance counselor?” Audet responded with, “After receiving my psychology degree, I was not sure what I wanted to get my master's in. I thought about sports psychology, but I had a couple of influential adults that really helped support me when I was in high school. I really wanted to be able to do the same for other young adults.” Audet loves, "helping and supporting students through difficult times."
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Mrs. DowHigh school counselor Mrs. Dow has been a school counselor in the district for 7 years, and before becoming a counselor she was an English teacher at Corry for 19 years.
When asked, "What made you pursue the course of being a guidance counselor?" Dow chose to pursue counseling because she, "hoped to work with students more in depth."
The most rewarding aspect of being guidance counseling for Mrs. Dow is, "Observing a student work through a process and reach a decision."
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Mr. GibsonMr. Gibson has been a counselor for three years total, and for those two previous years he spent them as the elementary school counselor for the Forest Area School District. This is his first year at Corry, as the 8th and 9th grade school counselor. Mr. Gibson was not always a guidance counselor, in his previous profession he worked as a TSS (therapeutic support staff) for several years. As a TSS, he worked in schools with elementary students and modeled skills to help them be successful at school.
When asked what made him pursue being a guidance counselor, he responded with, "I decided to become a school counselor because I genuinely enjoy helping others. I could not imagine having a different career!"
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Mr. McGinnityCorry's middle school counselor, Mr. McGinnity, has been a counselor for 12 years. He’s from Meadville, and has his Bachelor's Degree in Health and Physical Education, and master's degree in school counseling. McGinnity pursued this career because of his "life experiences and wanting to make a difference in students' lives.”
When asked “What is the most rewarding aspect of being a school counselor to you?” The most rewarding aspect of being a school counselor to McGinnity is when, "you see students who came to you for assistance when they were in middle school doing well and being successful in high school. Also, when students are excited to see you in the hallway and say 'Hi, Mr. McGinnity!' it always puts a smile on my face.”
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Mr. AnthonyMr. Anthony has been a school counselor for 20 years, he was hired after finishing his master's degree. Mr. Anthony chose to become a school counselor because he has, “always enjoyed helping people so I thought I could be helpful to others in the education field.”
The most rewarding part of being a guidance counselor for Mr. Anthony is, “getting to know students at multiple grade levels and helping them with different needs they may have in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social.”
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Mrs. Hirschmann
Mrs. Hirschmann has been a school counselor at Corry for 11 years. She grew up in Edinboro, graduated from General McLane High School, and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Edinboro University. Prior to becoming a guidance counselor, she was a mental health therapist and behavioral specialist. Mrs. Hirschmann chose to be a counselor because, “At a young age, I always knew I wanted to work with kids and help them in some way. I chose to become a school counselor because the profession would allow me to help kids in various different ways, both directly and indirectly!”
According to Hirschmann, the most rewarding aspect of being a school counselor is, "being able to watch students grow and develop socially and emotionally over time. I am in a unique position in which I get to see their growth and development from pre-k through 5th grade. I take joy in seeing their successes and accomplishments!”
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Mrs. TraunerMrs. Trauner has been a guidance counselor for 31 years, and all those years were spent in the Corry School District. She grew up in a small town called Wheeling, West Virginia. She attended college at West Virginia University, and worked on her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a focus on child development. She then continued her college education by getting her Master's of Education Degree in School Counseling at Slippery Rock University.
“My pursuit in becoming a guidance counselor came to me while I was in College at West Virginia University working on my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a focus on Child Development. I always realized I wanted to help children in some way, but after taking many Child Development classes, I soon realized I wanted to work with many children and felt as though being a School Counselor would allow me to do this and provide a lot of help and support to children and families.”
The most rewarding aspect of counseling for Mrs. Trauner is, “helping children in multiple ways. Not only to help them work through the rough times, but to be able to help them realize their potential, create positive change and be a part of meaningful connections, give them hope when they feel like they are hopeless, have the honor of helping them, let them be themselves and make coming to school safe and fun. However, I must say, the ultimate reward and huge motivator for me is seeing them smile and laugh.”
