Counselor Assignments

Role of the School Counselor

*We Help Students Make Informed Decisions*

School counselors are professionals with training and skills to support students’ potential for healthy growth in the areas of academic, personal/social, and career development.   We provide a wide range of services to all students in grades 9-12 as part of our Comprehensive School Counseling program.  These services include but are not limited to: individual meetings with students, Counselor Workshop lessons, and group counseling.  School Counselors also provide crisis intervention to students, attend PPT's and 504's, and consult with teachers, parents, and administrators.   We are often the first person that students, parents, and teachers come to with a question or concern.   Our goal is to help point them in the right direction and/or make an informed decision. 

Guaranteed time with your school counselor each year! 

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2023-2024 School Counselor Assignments

2024-2025 School Counselor Assignments

(Preliminary - official assignments will be posted at a later date)

Meet our Team

Bret Nichols (Director of School Counseling) can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6527 or nicholsb@newtown.k12.ct.us.

Bret has been a member of the Newtown High School School Counseling Department since 2004 and is now the School Counseling Department Chair. 

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Lauren Marti can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6511 or martil@newtown.k12.ct.us

Lauren has been in Education for a number of years and has loved every minute! She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a Masters Degree in School Counseling. She started her career teaching second and fourth grade in Region #14. After six years, she accepted a job as a School Counselor in Region #6 where she worked for 12 years before coming to Newtown High School. She has found her niche in education as a school counselor working with high school students and thoroughly enjoys each day!

Dan Farina can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6579 or farinad@newtown.k12.ct.us.

Dan completed his undergraduate degree at Southern Connecticut State University, graduating in 2015. He then received his Masters degree from Fairfield University in School Counseling. Dan is excited to be at Newtown High School and is looking forward to working with students and families. 

Lisa Kapitan can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6591 or kapitanl@newtown.k12.ct.us

Lisa graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies. She received her Masters degree from Fairfield University in Counselor Education: School Counseling and became CT certified in 2008. Lisa started as the Freshman Counselor at Newtown High School in the 2009-2010 school year and has really enjoyed helping students and parents navigate their transition into high school. She also serves as an advisor of NHS Link Crew and is the VP of Fairfield County Region for Connecticut School Counseling Association.

Ana Mendes can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6518 or mendesa@newtown.k12.ct.us

Ana has been a school counselor at Newtown High School since 2001. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Fairfield University and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She earned her Masters in School Counseling also from Fairfield University. Ana is a National Board Certified Counselor. She thoroughly loves her job and working with students and families as they navigate high school and plan for life after Newtown High School.

Jeff Tolson can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6578 or tolsonj@newtown.k12.ct.us

Jeffrey has been a School Counselor at Newtown High School since 2000.  He graduated from the University of Maryland (B.S. Special Education) in 1985 and from Cambridge College (M.Ed Counseling) in 1993. Jeffrey is Advisor to the Fusion Mentoring Program at NHS and is an integral part of many other school and community activities. He enjoys his work with students and families in helping them make informed decisions.

Deidre Croce can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6533 or croced@newtown.k12.ct.us

Deidre has been working with teenagers in some capacity for over 20 years. She has been a counselor for several summer programs, was a horseback riding instructor, and worked as a counselor in a residential treatment program. She received her educator certification and taught middle school Language Arts for six years at Salisbury Central School. She has worked at Newtown High School since 2004 and loves what she does! She truly enjoys the energy and enthusiasm that high school students embody and she is inspired by them on a daily basis. Outside of work, Deidre is passionate about Animal Rescue and devotes most of her free time to that cause.

Alexa Kobani can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6557 or kobania@newtown.k12.ct.us

Alexa is the newest addition to the Newtown High School School Counseling Department.  She graduated from Sacred Heart University in 2015 with a Bachelors in Psychology and went on to attend Central Connecticut State University to obtain her Masters in School Counseling in 2018. She completed her year long internship at Newtown High School during the 2017-2018 school year. She worked with students in grades 5-8 during the 2018-2019 school year in Sherman and is very excited to be back at NHS!  Please feel free to reach out to Alexa throughout the school year with any concerns. 

Sara Brant can be reached at 203-426-7651 x6592 or brants@newtown.k12.ct.us

Sara completed her internship at Newtown High School during the 2011-2012 school year and returned the following year. Sara graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A in Psychology and she received her M. A. degree in School Counseling from Fairfield University. She has her CT Certification in School Counseling in addition to being a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). 

Counseling Department Secretarial Staff

Clare Francke - 203-426-7651 x6563

Mary Dannen - 203-426-7651 x6538

College & Career Center

Brandy Jacobs - 203-426-7679

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