Counselor's Notebook, March 2011

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION MARCH 2011VOL. 47, NO. 7

MASCA

50YEARS

1961

2011GOLDEN PAST . . . PLATINUM FUTURE

MASCA AnnualSpring Conferenceand MASCA 50th

Birthday Celebration

Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore, DanversApril 10 -12, 2011

Registration form can be found on page 8.

“Make new friends, but keep the old /One is silver and the other gold.” Forany of you who were a Girl Scout, this maybring back memories of sitting around acampfire. As I was contemplating whatto write for this edition of the Coun-selor’s Notebook, this song popped intomy head. To me, this is MASCA.

As we approach MASCA’s 50th Birth -day Celebration, it is both critically im -portant to the profession and incrediblyinteresting to hear about the history ofMASCA and to see the work that thosebefore us have done. Without them, wewould not be where we are today. On theother hand, it is the re-energizing thatcomes with different people joining theorganization and bringing new ideas andperspectives that keeps us going.

I encourage you to bring this sameperspective to the spring conference andany other professional event you attend.

Seek out those you know to recon-nect and those who always have wordsof wisdom for you. Then step outsideyour comfort zone. Talk to someone new,whether it is another counselor or a grad-uate student or a presenter or an exhibitor.You never know what you will learn.

Happy Birthday, MASCA! Here’s toanother fifty years of proudly represent-ing our profession. ■

JENNIFER LISK

Silver and GoldBy JENNIFER LISK

MASCA VP Secondary

Preparing for College and Careerthrough Global Awareness

By DONNA BROWNMASCA Executive Director

Y ears ago, I had a supervisor whostated unequivocally that “the Guid-

ance Department is the conscience ofthe school.” I remember thinking that atbest this was hyperbole; at worst he wasbuttering us up to take responsibility forsomething that had happened.

Neither was the case, and over theyears I have come to believe his state-ment completely.

It’s easy to forget this when we areburied in last minute college recommen-dations or up to our ears in schedulechanges, but it’s true. We advocate forour students; we try to guarantee thateveryone “plays fair”; we speak for thosewithout a voice; we organize coat drivesand food drives and a myriad of ways tohelp kids. And all the while, we encour-age academic and social success, promotecollege and career readiness, and createways to help students become positive,

productive citizens. Whew!In January, I made my annual pilgrim -

age to New York to the United Nationsfor the Committee on Teaching About theUnited Nations (CTAUN) conference. Thisyear’s theme, “Achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals: Teaching for Action,”provided much to think about.

In our packets was a wallet-sized cardthat summarized the goals and the state-ment that “the 192 Member States (allour countries) of the United Nations havepromised to achieve the 8 MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) by 2015.”

On the back of the card, the eight goalswere listed: ERADICATE Extreme Pov -erty and Hunger; ACHIEVE UniversalPrimary Education; PROMOTE GenderEquality and Empower Women; REDUCEChild Mortality; IMPROVE MaternalHealth; COMBAT HIV/AIDS, Malaria

(continued on page 4)

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2010 – 2011MASCA OFFICERS

PRESIDENTCAROLYN RICHARDSSomerville High School81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143Tel. 617-625-6600 x6120 • Fax 617-628-8413E-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTMICHELLE BURKEBeverly High School100 Sohier RoadBeverly, MA 01915-2654E-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTCHRISTINE A. EVANSRandolph High School70 Memorial Parkway, Randolph, MA 02368Tel. 781-961-6220 x545 • Fax 781-961-6235E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYJACQUELINE BROWNEast Somerville Community School42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143Tel. 617-625-6600 x6517 • Fax 617-591-7906E-mail: [email protected]

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 02053Tel. 508-533-3228 x5107 • Fax 508-533-3246E-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]

SECRETARYJENNIFER JUST McGUIREUpper Cape Cod Regional Technical School220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532Tel. 508-759-7711 x247 • Fax 508-759-5455E-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]

MARCH 2011 3

March 2011

www.masca.org

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.

©2011 by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.All rights reserved.

MASCA

inside6 Emerging Leaders Program enters fifth year

7 Leadership Forum scheduled for March

8 MASCA Spring Conference Registration Form

9 Golden Past, Platinum FutureBy Michelle Burke

10 MASCA Conference and 50th Birthday CelebrationBy Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D.

12 MASCA Call for Nominations 2011-2012

13 MASCA Officers Nomination Form

16 Looking Back to the FutureBy Joe Fitzgerald


BROWN (continued from page 1)

DONNA BROWN

and Other Diseases; ENSURE Environ-mental Stability; and DEVELOP a GlobalPartnership for Development.

As I listened to keynoters NicholasKristof of The New York Times and HelenClark, former Prime Minister of NewZealand and Chair of the UN Develop-ment Programme, and considered the re -portage of successes and continuing chal-lenges in meeting the MDGs presentedby various panels, I realized how little Ireally knew and I wondered how muchmy colleagues and their students did. Italso occurred to me that this was a won-derful opportunity to help our studentsbecome contributing citizens in theirschools, communities, and the world.

In the afternoon, several schools werehonored with best practices awards. Asthe projects were introduced, it was ob -vious that students (and educators) hadgrown in their understanding of theirplace in the world. For example, NorthEuless Elementary School in Texas startedan after-school project called Club WeCan. The project started with 35 studentsand four teachers. Universal human rightsand responsibilities were the foundationof 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, con-ducted a drive for science lab materials,and ran a fund-raising project for chil-dren in Kenya. The culminating event wasan International Night. According to theirprincipal, “Both academic achievementand school atmosphere improved over thecourse of the year.”

Another honored school had createda unit on Africa, focusing on understand-ing the issues of prejudice/discriminationand genocide.

A New Jersey high school developed aproject, “Global Bridge for Better Com-munities,” that brought students andparents together with people from Keroka,Kenya to improve living conditions there.

Yet another school created an exten-sive exit performance for eighth gradestudents entitled “Global Race to the Top.”Students were divided into assigned coun -tries and each group was required to designa development plan to address the UNMDG. The plans were presented to anoutside group of evaluators acting as ad -ministrators in a competition for major

funding. Each team had ten minutes forits presentation, with the teams beingjudged on effective communication andproblem solving. They were judged bytheir instructors on how well they wereself-directed and how effectively theycollaborated.

All of the projects helped studentsdevelop an understanding of the greaterworld, but they gained so much more!Every project supported the goals andobjectives of the MA Model; every pro-ject helped students move towards collegeand career readiness. They had learnedto research, plan, organize, collaborate,communicate, and execute a real life pro-ject that connected them with the globalcommunity.

Developing service activitiesthat countWhat does all this have to do with pro-fessional school counselors? Lots! Forone thing, many of us are responsible forservice learning in our school and, truthbe known, it tends to be the same old,same old. Wouldn’t it make more senseto develop a project that would provideservice learning opportunities AND ad -dress MA Model competencies?

Interdisciplinary opportunities to workwith other educators and students inyour school abound. Some schools haveprojects in place.

During March Madness, for example,Weymouth High School sponsors basket-ball team competitions. The money raisedgoes to Nothing But Nets (www.nothingbutnets.net), a grassroots campaign toprovide mosquito nets and education tocombat malaria. The nets cost $10.00each and last about five years. Studentsand faculty at WHS have been able toprovide hundreds of these nets.

In other schools, Key Club and/orStudent Council lead outreach efforts

collecting winter coats or running fooddrives. Counselors can tap these re sour -ces and help tweak them to make themaccessible to all students.

Expanding global horizonsSeveral other groups provided informa-tion to help educators expand students’horizons:

Heifer International (www.heifer.org)works with communities to help end hung -er by giving gifts of livestock and train-ing in sustainable agriculture. Educatorscan access free educational programsand materials to use with students.

Concern Worldwide US (www.concernusa.org) provides free resources and sup-port to educators seeking ways to raiseawareness of global issues among stu-dents and empower them to take actionagainst poverty. I picked up samples ofthe student resource guides, and they areexcellent. Each targets a specific issue anda geographic region. For example, “Edu-cation” has a focus on Somalia while“Water” looks at Haiti.

Girls Learn International, Inc (www.girlslearninternational.org) pairs Ameri-can middle and high school-based chap-ters with Partner Schools in countrieswhere girls have been traditionally deniedaccess to education. This program givesstudents the opportunity to explore issuesaffecting girls in the context of globalhuman rights and promotes cross-culturalunderstanding and communication.

Project GAIA (www.projectgaia.com)is a Global Clean Fuel Initiative that seeksto replace polluting fuels with renewablealcohol fuels.

These are just a few of the possibili-ties. Counselors are in a unique positionto encourage students to be participantsin all their communities while develop-ing the skills and understandings to becollege- and career-ready. We are the“conscience of the school” and part ofthat role is to help students develop anunderstanding of their rights and respon-sibilities as global citizens.

For additional information aboutCTAUN, visit the website at www.teachun.org. ■

MARCH 2011 5


Emerging LeadersProgram enters

fifth year

A re you a professional school coun-selor who has not been an elected

or appointed member of the MASCAGoverning Board? Do you want to beinvolved in our profession in some way,but you are not sure exactly how? TheEmerging Leaders Program (ELP) is foryou.

The ELP was approved in 2007 by theMASCA Governing Board. Its main goalis to identify potential leaders in the schoolcounseling profession in Massachusettsand get them involved with MASCA.Emerging Leaders have to be a profes-sional school counselor and a MASCAmember; they must not have been anelected or appointed Governing Boardmember; and they must have a desire togive back to our profession.

Emerging Leaders must present at aMASCA-sponsored conference, attend aGoverning Board meeting and an affili-ate meeting, write articles for the Coun-selor’s Notebook, and participate in ELtrainings. In return, an Emerging Leaderreceives a free, one-year MASCA mem-bership, reduced conference registrationfee, and free leadership training. Emerg-ing Leaders are also expected to attendthe annual MASCA Leadership Develop -ment Institute (LDI) in early August aswell as the ASCA North Atlantic Regionfall workshop, which is usually held theweekend before Thanksgiving.

The major project that ELs worked onthis year was to assist the MASCA MAModel Committee with its goal of imple-menting the Model in all schools in theCommonwealth.

MASCA is now recruiting a new classof Emerging Leaders for 2011-2012. In -terested candidates must submit a letterof interest, resume, and letter of recom-mendation from his /her supervisor byApril 15 to Bob Bardwell, MASCA PastPresident, Monson High School, 55 Mar-garet Street, Monson, MA 01057; fax413-267-4157; or e-mail, [email protected].

Don’t miss out on this unique and ex -citing program. It will forever impact youas a professional school counselor. ■

MARCH 2011 7

The annual School Counseling Lead-ership Forum on Beacon Hill is back

and will be better than ever. The Forumwill be held in the Great Hall at the StateHouse on Wednesday, March 16, from10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and the focusthis year is on career- and college-readi-ness initiatives in Massachusetts.

All school counselors, directors ofguidance, counselor educators, graduatestudents, and others interested in schoolcounseling in Massachusetts are invitedto attend. The program is sponsored bythe Massachusetts Coalition for SchoolCounseling, which includes members ofthe Massachusetts School CounselorsAssociation, the New England Associa-tion for College Admission Counseling,and the New England Regional Officeof the College Board.

Invited speakers include GovernorDeval Patrick, Greg Darnieder, SeniorAdvisor to the U.S. Secretary on the Col-lege Access Initiative, Keith Westrich,Director of Career & College Readinessat the Massachusetts Department of Ele -mentary & Secondary Education, andBrian Law, President of the AmericanSchool Counselor Association. Theirfocus will be on how to ensure all Mass-achusetts students have access to careerand college information as well as schoolcounselor involvement in the Race tothe Top initiative.

In addition, participants will have anopportunity to meet with their state rep-resentative and senator to educate themabout what school counselors do and whythey make a difference. We need a largeturnout of school counselors and their sup -porters to show policy makers how vitallyimportant school counselors are. Partic-ipants are encouraged to bring data thatshows how their school counseling pro-gram makes a positive impact on studentwell-being and achievement. Ap point -ments will be made for all participants.

We will also discuss the three bills thatthe Advocacy Committee filed for thislegislative session:

(1) a committee to study whether tomandate six-year career plans for all stu-dents (previously filed),

(2) an act to establish a school coun-seling leadership pilot project to acceler-ate college- and career-readiness (previ-

Leadership Forum scheduled for Marchously filed), and

(3) a bill that would mandate aschool counselor in every elementaryschool (new).

The Committee is very excited aboutthis progress and will share updates withparticipants.

Registration forms must be completedand returned to Casey Harvell at M+RStrategic Services by March 1. Send [email protected]. The registration form

is also available on the MASCA websiteat www.masca.org/index.php/component/content/article/38-news/236-leadership-day. For more information, contact BobBardwell, MASCA’s Advocacy Commit-tee Chair, at 413-267-4589 x1107 [email protected].

Come out to learn more about thecurrent career- and college-readiness ini-tiatives and support the school counsel-ing profession. ■

Building 21st Century Academic and Employability Skills

50YEARS

1961

2011


MARCH 2011 9

Golden Past, Platinum FutureBy MICHELLE BURKEMASCA President-elect

I am very proud to represent the pro-fession of school counseling, and I

“sing our praises” every chance I get. Bytaking the time to read the Counselor’sNotebook, I believe you, too, are alsoproud to be a school counselor.

We have a passion for education, ourcareers, and more importantly, for ourstudents. We value spending our timewith children and adolescents and findjoy in helping them to help themselves.Our skill as school counselors allows usto make a difference in a young person’slife, and the time is now to show ourschool districts, cities and towns, stateand nation that school counselors arethe captains of the career- and college-readiness teams.

Thanks to the productive efforts ofour former and present MASCA leaders,school counseling services are includedin many recent federal, state, and localeducational initiatives. DESE Commis-sioner Mitchell Chester has shown usgreat respect in the past eight months byallowing our MASCA leaders to presentto him in August at our Leadership Dev -elopment Institute and by sincerely lis-tening to us and understanding our vitalrole in student achievement. At the suc-cessful fall 2010 MASCA conference,Commissioner Chester reflected on theimportance of school counseling in hiskeynote address. He has said that hewill continue to use us as a resource andas a team member on new and existingeducational initiatives.

Our school counseling leaders and ad -vocates have lobbied over the past fewyears for us to be heard, for our roles inthe school settings to be more clearlydefined and understood, for us to have“a seat at the table” in program planning,and for our comprehensive, results-basedschool counseling programs to be recog-nized as an effective and a more efficientuse of a school counselor’s time.

As a result of their tireless efforts, theschool counseling profession is currentlyviewed by many as the leader at the headof the table with district administrators,policymakers, postsecondary institutions,community members, parents, and stu-dents. They look to us to lead the way inmaking sure that all students are career-and college-ready.

This is a critical time for our school

counseling professionals to demonstratetheir value. Let us continue to lead,learn, collaborate, and celebrate ourprofession.

Please consider getting involved inMASCA and/or your local MASCA affil-iate. Join us at the annual spring confer-ence. Volunteer on MASCA committees.Become part of the Emerging Leaders co -

hort. Or get on the ballot for an electedposition.

I am humbled to be part of therespected MASCA leadership team, andI look forward to meeting more, enthu-siastic school counselors and our alliesas we continue to advocate for and im -prove upon our roles as effective schoolcounselors. ■


MASCA Conferenceand 50th Birthday

CelebrationBy HELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D.

MASCA Conferences Chair

I n April 1961, a group of dedicatedschool counseling professionals formed

the Massachusetts School CounselorsAssociation. Until then, there were onlya few area school “guidance” associationsaround the state, like the WMCA, whichis celebrating its 65th birthday this year.Others (like Franklin Hampshire Guid-ance Association) were born in 1961 tojoin MASCA and have a voice on the newMASCA Governing Board. Now is thetime for affiliates to examine their rootsand celebrate at the MASCA spring con-ference. During the 50th Birthday Lun-cheon, affiliate members are invited to sittogether at special affiliate tables. To makearrangements for specially designatedtables, contact Sherry Brass at [email protected].

Honors for counselors MASCA has designed a Tribute Initiativeto allow affiliates, school counseling col -leagues, communities, schools, and stu-dents to honor their school counselors.Check out the current Tributes posted onthe website. Click on the yellow box onthe left sidebar of the home page. For $50you can post a 50-word tribute with aphoto by using your credit card. All Trib -ute honorees will be recognized at theMASCA/Mt. Ida 50th Birth day Recep-tion on Monday afternoon, April 11.

Scholarships and awardsThe conference PR table needs your help.Funds raised from donated baskets, gifts,and 50-50 raffles are earmarked to sup-port MASCA scholarships and awards.These include: monetary Help-A-Kidawards to three schools in Massachusetts(elementary, middle / jr. high, and highschool); a scholarship in George Thomp -son’s name to a graduate student; andtwo Conference Attendance Certificatesin honor of Louise Forsyth.

We welcome donations of vacationweekends, event tickets, professional

MARCH 2011 11

books, gift items, gift certificates, etc. atthe table. The past few years, Sue Gill ofBay State College has done an outstand-ing job promoting the raffles and staffingthe table. Thanks, Sue. Donations canbe brought to the PR table, GoverningBoard Meetings, or mailed to me at 10Maplewood Terrace, Hadley, MA 01035.

Invitation for retirees andfriendsCome to the 50th celebration luncheonand participate in the afternoon socialand retiree workshops. Then join the50th Birthday Reception to recognizetribute honorees and hear from cameoguest speakers. For registration informa-tion about these events for retirees, e-mail Mary Westcott at [email protected]. See you there!

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

SundayGraduate students are invited to thegraduate student panels on Sunday morn-ing. This will be followed by the Grad-uate Student and First Timers LuncheonReception. Come and preview the MAModel and Graduate Student poster ses-sions prior to Dr. Norm Gysbers’ kick-off keynote on Sunday afternoon. Afterconcurrent, late-afternoon workshop ses-sions, join the MASCA Awards Recep-tion from 5:00-6:30 p.m. to hear the an -nouncement of MASCA award recipientsand celebrate with honorees.

Monday, 50th BirthdayCelebrationsThe Exhibit Hall will be a beehive ofactivity. Exhibits and a hearty breakfastkick off the morning events, which willinclude a keynoter and outstanding work-shop sessions.

The 50th Birthday Luncheon speaker isLt. Gov. Timothy Murray. Join this eventas we honor MASCA Past Presidents,Executive Directors, Life Trustees, andO.S.C.A.R. winners. Plans include pre-sentation of MASCA proclamations, afew special surprise awards, and cameoguests including Dr. Ron Fredrickson,who is flying in from Kansas to join us.

The afternoon of outstanding confer-ence workshops will also include a Re -tiree Social and special retiree workshop.The final celebration event is the MASCA/

Mt. Ida Birthday Reception, which willrecognize tribute honorees and include aspecially designed MASCA birthday cake.More cameo guests will join this event.

Everyone is welcome to join the BayState College President’s Reception onMonday evening. Celebrate with col-leagues and enjoy the music provided byBay State’s Entertainment Majors.

Tuesday The day will include both conferenceworkshops and the separate DESE Race

to the Top Workshop Training. The RTTTtraining will have a separate registration,but RTTT registrants will join conferenceattendees in visiting the exhibits, eatingbreakfast and lunch, and listening to thekeynoters.

Keynoter is Dr. Richard T. Lapan,UMass Amherst Professor and Chair ofthe MASCA Research and EvaluationCommittee.

Register as soon as possible and bringyour colleagues and administrators.

SEE YOU THERE! ■


ArtAthletic Training

BiologyBusiness Management

ChemistryCommunication

Computer Information SystemsCompute Science

Criminal JusticeEconomicsEducation

EnglishEnvironmental Science

Ethnic and Gender Studies General Science

HistoryLiberal Studies

MathematicsMovement Science

MusicNursing

Political SciencePsychology

Regional PlanningSocial Work

SociologySpanish

Theatre Arts

Westfield State Office of AdmissionPost Office Box 1630 · Westfield, MA 01086(413) 572-5218 · wsc.ma.edu

Private quality. Public value. Discover more by visiting us online at wsc.ma.edu.

MASCA Call for Nominations 2011-2012Elected OfficersThe following elected positions need to befilled in 2011: President-Elect, Vice Pres-ident Elementary, Vice President Secon -dary, and Vice President Postsecondary.

Each elected position is for a two-yearterm, with the exception of the positionof President-Elect, which is a three-yearcommitment. If you are interested or knowsomeone who is, please submit a nomi-nation form. A form has been included inthis issue of the Notebook, and a copyis also available on the MASCA web site,www.masca.org.

Descriptions of the positions and alist of duties can be found on the MASCAwebsite. To make a nomination, send acompleted nomination form to ChristineEvans, Randolph High School GuidanceDept., 70 Memorial Parkway, Randolph,MA 02368 or e-mail nominations to Im -mediate Past President Christine Evansat [email protected].

Candidates will be elected by a ballotvote at the annual spring conference inApril.

Appointed OfficersAs per the MASCA By-Laws, we seek tofill the annual slate of appointed positions:Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer,Coordinator of Membership, Counselor’sNotebook Editor, Technology Coor di -nator, and Coordinator of ProfessionalDevelopment.

Job descriptions for each positioncan be found on the MASCA website,www.masca.org. If you are interested inapplying for one of these positions, senda resume and letter of intent no later thanMarch 15 to Carolyn Richards, Somer -ville High School, 81 Highland Avenue,Somerville, MA 02143 or e-mail Presi-dent Carolyn Richards at [email protected].

Applicants will be interviewed by ascreening committee. Upon completionof the interview process, the screeningcommittee will then make recommenda-tions to the Executive Council and theGoverning Board.

Committee ChairsAs per the MASCA By-Laws, we seek tofill the following Committee Chair posi-tions: Conference Committee, Fiscal Over -sight Committee, Professional Develop-ment Committee, Research & EvaluationCommittee, and Technology Committee.

Job descriptions for each positioncan be found on the MASCA website,www.masca.org. If you are interested inapplying for one of these positions, senda resume and letter of intent no later thanMarch 15 to Michelle Burke, BeverlyHigh School, 100 Sohier Road, Beverly,MA 01915-2653, or you can e-mail Pres-ident-elect Michelle Burke at [email protected].

Applicants will be interviewed by ascreening committee. Upon completionof the interview process, the screeningcommittee will then make recommenda-tions to the Executive Council. ■

MARCH 2011 13

MASCA Officers Nomination Form2011-2012

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF NOMINATIONS: MARCH 15, 2011

Nominations may be submitted by either of the following:1) An affiliate association with authorized signature, or2) The signatures of ten (10) MASCA members.

Mail to: Christine EvansMASCA Past PresidentRandolph High School Guidance Dept.70 Memorial ParkwayRandolph, MA 02368

Or e-mail nominations to: [email protected]

Nomination submitted by: ___________________________________________

Affiliate association: ________________________________________________

Authorized signature: _______________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________________________

Telephone number: _________________________________________________

• Nominees must be paid-up members of MASCA and have indicated awillingness 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:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

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

MASCASpring Conference

KeynotersMASCA’s spring conference will featureseveral keynoters. Included among them:

NORMAN C. GYSBERS, Ph.D.

Norman C. Gysbers, Ph.D., is Professorwith Distinction in the De partment ofEducational, School, and Counseling Psy -chology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is author of 81 articles, 33chapters in published books, 15 mono-graphs, and 17 books. His Career Coun-seling: Process, Issues, and Techniqueshas been published in Italian, Japanese,and Chinese.

His research and teaching interestsare in career development, career coun-seling, and school guidance and coun-seling program development, manage-ment, and evaluation.

KEITH WESTRICH

Keith Westrich is the Director of Collegeand Career Readiness for the Massachu-setts Department of Elementary & Sec-ondary Education’s Center for StudentSupport, Career and Education Services.He manages and oversees initiatives de -signed to prepare students for success inpostsecondary education and economi-cally viable career pathways.

Previously, Westrich led the Depart-ment’s Connecting Activities initiative,which provided resources and technicalassistance to the 16 local WorkforceInvestment Boards and 15 local School-to-Career Partnerships. ■


MASCA Officers Nominee Information Sheet 2011-2012

Educational background: ___________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Experience in school counseling: ____________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Professional affiliations: ____________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Please attach a recent photograph of the candidate.

Office: _________________________________________________

Nominee: ______________________________________________

Position now held: ______________________________________

School address: _________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Home address: _________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

MARCH 2011 15


2011 Leadership Forumfor Massachusetts School Counselors

on Beacon HillMarch 16, 2011

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

For information, contact Bob Bardwell, 413-267-4589 x1107or [email protected]

Looking Backto the FutureBy JOE FITZGERALD

MASCA Technology Committee Chair

“Sometimes you have to look back inorder to look forward.” I’m not sure ifsomeone has said this. If not, I want totake credit for this quote.

Because I recently passed a significantbirthday, I began to look back and thinkabout what transpired over the years forme. MASCA is doing the same as its fifti-eth birthday approaches.

Recently, I came across the Septem-ber 1970 issue of MASCA’s Counselor’sNotebook. The middle section had twopages of pictures entitled “Scenes fromthe Annual Meeting.” Included was a pic-ture of me at a spring conference session.At least, I think it was me!

At that time I was a new junior highschool counselor in Randolph and abouta year into a CAGS Counselor EducationProgram at Northeastern University. Iprobably joined MASCA in 1969, whenit was a very young organization. Now,forty plus years have passed and MASCAis fifty years old. Hard to believe! Wehave come a long way.

From a technology point of view, wehave also come a long way. Back then,technology in our guidance office con-sisted of an electric typewriter, a film-strip projector, and an overhead projec-tor. If you were lucky, you got to use theonly 16mm film projector in the school.

Early in the technology revolution, Imissed much of what was going on. Athome, a VHS player was my first real ex -posure to technology. These players be -came more prevalent in school andbecame essential teaching tools.

After thirteen years as an elementary,middle, and high school counselor, Imoved to Milton as Director of Guid-ance. There I had my first real introduc-tion to technology when the Superinten-dent purchased a $6,000 Digital Cor-poration, dedicated word processor forthe guidance department.

All of us in the department wereamazed by its quality and the ability itgave us to correct mistakes on the screen

MARCH 2011 17

before printing out a document. It neveroccurred to us that we still had to writeor type our recommendations and thenhave the secretary enter them onto an 8-inch floppy disk. She printed the docu-ment, we proofed it, and she made therevisions. It was such an improvementover typing. Although the word proces-sor took up a lot of space with its con-sole, screen, and large printer, it waswonderful.

From that point on into the mid- tolate-1980s, technology took off. Studentsused Radio Shack word processors in theclassroom and actually took home theTRS-80 word processors from the schoollibrary. Apple and Microsoft grew at arapid pace, getting increasingly smallerin size and more powerful in features.

Using technology todayJust the act of my writing this articleattests to how far technology and I havecome. I am writing it on a laptop com-puter with my feet up, editing it on thefly. I am also wirelessly connected to theInternet and watching Masterpiece Clas-sic’s “Downton Abbey,” which I recordeda couple of nights ago.

Fifty years ago we used words andinformation to help our constituents.Today we are doing the same thing, justdifferently. Every time we use the Inter-net today, we deal with words, informa-tion, and reading. Only the medium haschanged. One big difference is the amountof information we have to analyze. Asthe texters write: TMI (too much infor-mation)!

MASCA has embraced technology toenhance the profession. This technologyhas not replaced us; rather, it supportswhat we do and makes our jobs easier.Technology simplifies our daily routineby quickly giving us information aboutcollege admissions, career information,scheduling….The ability to search outseemingly infinite information almost in -stantly is mind-boggling. Motivated stu-dents can access this information in ourguidance offices, the library, and at home.This can create responsible students andparents. Guidance counselors are still thereto guide and advise.

In this column over the last severalyears, we have described what has been

accomplished by the Technology Com-mittees past and present. Our organiza-tion’s website—www.masca.org—hasbeen improved and changed. It includesinformation for guidance professionals,particularly for MASCA members. Weare finishing the second phase of devel-oping the site, and continued im prove -ments will take place in the future.

A future in the pastLooking back can help us look at tech-nology with a critical eye. Then we can

focus clearly on important issues andmove forward into this new informationera without rose-colored glasses. The oft-forgotten past, most certainly, holds les sonsfor us on how to make a better future.

I am so glad to have been involved asboth a member and committee participant.I have met many wonderful people andhave learned a great deal from them. Myassociation with MASCA has helped mein both my personal life and professionalcareer.

Happy 50th Birthday, MASCA! ■


A Super Goal for Bryant

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

ED’S VIEWSBy ED BRYANT

MASCA Life Trustee

January 2011: Snow, snow, snow.Global warming? My plowing bill

for the long driveway—ouch! Plus leakin the roof. It’s been a winter of stressfor many.

Dr. Claire Michaels has some recom-mendations for beating stress: (1) Eval-uate stress, (2) Get a good night’s sleep,(3) Breathe properly, (4) Watch what youeat, (5) Get organized, (6) Call friends,(7) Practice random acts of kindness.

Mary, Oscar, and other 50th BirthdayCelebration Committee members: Welldone!

Here are a few more memories for ourbirthday:

• During my term as executive direc-tor we developed “Financial Policies andProcedures.” The 1988-1989 balance was$25,270. From memberships we received$21,322. We discontinued publication ofthe “Calendar Notebook.”

• Some of the meetings of NSGDAdealt with the difference between sched-uling and programming. My thoughtswere: programming is guidance, where asscheduling belongs with the principal.On one Visiting Team trip a high schoolcounselor told me that he devoted mostof second semester doing the schedulingfor his large high school. He hardly eversaw a student. Sound familiar?

• Working with Louise Forsyth on herBoston SPGA convention was a learningexperience.

Regarding recruiting (for MASCA, notthe military). For our birthday celebrationyear, every member should try to recruitone new member. This effort would helpmake MASCA a stronger organization.

“The mold of a man’s future is in hishands.” (Francis Bacon) What is the fu -ture of MASCA in the next fifty years? ■

Celebrate the pastand plan for the future.

Attend MASCA’sSpring Conference.

MARCH 2011 19

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.

MASCA 2011 Spring Conferenceand 50th Birthday Celebration

April 10 -12, 2011Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore, Danvers

GREAT PROGRAMS • GREAT PRICES • GREAT SPEAKERS

Graduate Student Events • Exciting Exhibits • MA Model ShowcaseMASCA 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, [email protected]

50YEARS

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2011 50YEARS

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Documents

Counselor's Notebook, March 2011