Minutes of HSA meeting

Thursday, November 14, 2024

SHHS Library

6:30 pm

 

Attendees: 

 

Tina Zamulinsky, Co-Chair

Michael Gebhardt, Secretary

 

Kristin Dunning, Career / College Counselor

 

Approximately 42 others, per sign-in sheet.

 

Ms. Dunning opened the meeting by providing a brief summary of her extensive experience in the school district and at Strath Haven, having been a school counselor for 11 years and a ninth-grade teacher for nine years before that.

 

[Secretary's Note: Ms. Dunning used slides during her presentation, which you can view at this link.]

 

She then described the model used by the school district for counseling, in which a single counselor follows a cohort from sixth to ninth grade, and then a grade level counselor, in coordination with others in a triad, follows the cohort through twelfth grade. She stated that SHHS is fortunate to have this level of counseling resources, as not all of our peer schools are similarly staffed.

 

She stated that her role as career / college counselor is to support post-secondary planning and success.

 

She noted that position has allowed her, and SHHS, to develop relationships with college and university admissions personnel. During the peak period, there can be as many as five visits from college and university admissions personnel per day, which SHHS students are invited to attend. These visits also provide the opportunity for Dunning to meet with the representatives and help them better understand the special qualities of SHHS and its students.

 

She stated that one thing she has been focusing on recently is to try and establish the schools’ stance on standardized test scores – whether to submit, what a true “good” score is for admissions purposes, etc. She noted that this is difficult to pin down, since the rise of test-optional applications has naturally reduced the number of applicants submitting scores, and therefore increased the average score of those who submit.

 

Ms. Dunning also stated that she focuses as well on career paths for those students either not interested in or not ready for a college or university experience.  She noted that the Pennsylvania Department of Education views career-readiness as an important focus for high-school graduates.

 

Ms. Dunning then described the various classroom lessons she provides for students, including career exploration, post-secondary education, and standardized testing. At a more detailed level, these include support for the development of employability skills (eye contact! How to make phone calls!), resume writing, applications, and testing strategies (meaning what tests to take, rather than how to take the tests).

 

She also described the programming available to students’ families and caregivers, which she said is generally well attended. In particular, she noted a “financial aid night” event upcoming on December 2, which will include a presentation from a representative from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) who is extremely knowledgeable about financial resources for students, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and related topics.

 

Ms. Dunning stated that the counseling department has two administrative assistants who are extremely responsive and helpful, Debbie Seifrit and Kim Horetsky. She encouraged parents to contact them with any questions or needs.

 

Finally, Ms. Dunning told the group that her department uses myriad forms of communication to reach students and their families, including social media, email, the principal’s weekly email blasts, HAS’s channels, and student council’s daily announcements in school.

 

Parents then had the chance to ask questions.

 

Question: Can there be a Zoom or Teams link for the Coffee with the Counselors sessions?

 

Answer: It is very tricky due to privacy concerns. Parents tend to want to ask, or sometimes incidentally provide information, about their student, and we don’t want that personal information recorded. But we will explore it further.

 

Question: Is there value for students in attending when admissions personnel visit SHHS? That is, does it matter to their application or likelihood of admission?

 

Answer: Many schools do track a variety of indicators of interest, including contacts with admissions personnel during these visits. But it is not universal. And if a student is not able to attend, they can send an email to register their interest which will serve the same purpose.

 

Question: Do you do any panels with parents who have been through the process?

 

Answer: We have not, though my position has only been in existence for two years. At the moment I am working on having a couple of recent graduates come in and talk to SHHS students about their experience applying and transitioning to college. The parent idea is also very good and worth considering.

 

Question: Who writes the college recommendation letters, is that you?

 

Answer: No, the grade level counselor (for current juniors, Mr. Edwards) writes the letters. 

 

Question: Can you provide more information regarding the role of the individual counselors versus what you do?

 

Answer: The individual counselors, like Mr. Edwards, will have more structured one to one conversations with students about their post-secondary plans, and all elements of preparing and deciding how to focus their search for careers or schools, including such things as who to get recommendations from, building a list of schools, how to find the right fit. I do much more work in groups, advising and answering more broadly applicable questions about how the overall process works.

 

Question: Any suggestions on how to help student who is very undecided and needs more dialogue about how to make decisions and choose a direction?

 

Answer: This is common, and we have to keep encouraging engagement with the sessions and resources available to get them thinking about it. I do check in Naviance to see if there are students who don’t indicate any kind of a plan, and I typically reach out to those students to see if I can nudge them into action.

 

Question: Do the admissions visits happen in periods when there is not a lot of testing, such that students feel like they have the time to attend?

 

Answer: The visits are more prevalent in the peak recruiting season for the colleges and universities, and of course at SHHS it can be hard to avoid conflicting with all testing that might be going on. But even if they can’t attend, we can help and advise students on connecting with the admission representatives, and the reps love it when they get outreach. 

 

Class Reports

 

2027 — The recent movie night was very successful, with more than $1,800 raised. The class has just under $10,500 in its account for senior celebration.

 

[Note: 2026 reports were received separately and are included in the minutes for information and record purposes.]

 

2026 —

• Linvilla pie fundraiser ends Nov. 15.
• Direct donation letters have been mailed to all class families.
• Class of 2026 student cabinet hosted its first meeting of the year to discuss an upcoming fundraiser, a bake sale and beverages at the annual Turkey Bowl competition between teachers and students.  We’re encouraging students from the class to collect donations, assorted snack bags, water, juice boxes, Tasty Cakes, donuts and pretzels.

 

The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:42 p.m.