The Structure Behind North Quincy's Student Services

The Structure Behind North Quincy’s Student Services

Have you ever walked through the North Quincy Guidance Department and seen a friendly face smile at you? Maybe they gave you a wave or even started a conversation with you! Odds are that this was Mrs. Farren who you encountered, our incredibly friendly and welcoming school psychologist. She is one of those special people in the building who always has a smile on her face and is ready to welcome you with open arms. Helping others is her forte, and along with that comes her spreading of kindness and optimism.

“She is constantly looking for ways to spread positivity and to make kids’ days even a little bit brighter. She makes sure that kids know that someone is there for them,” said David Bridges, a student-intern in the guidance office who works closely with Mrs. Farren.

Working for Quincy Public Schools for 31 years, and specifically as North Quincy’s school psychologist for the past 27 years, has given Mrs. Farren more than enough experience in her job, which has enabled her to perfect it. She has nailed down all the aspects of her role and is certainly successful.

As the sole psychologist in the school, she is responsible for three different tasks: counseling, testing, and emergencies.

“I love to provide help to people on the day that they need it. Other counseling services make you wait for days to get help, but here we can get you the help that you need on the exact day that you need it,” remarked Farren when asked about her favorite part of the job.

She counsels both individuals and groups, and with her support and listening ears, she is an outlet for students to get their emotions off of their chests. She can also provide support services to students by testing them for mental disorders and learning disabilities. Once diagnosed, they can get the help that they need to improve their lives. The last part of the job - emergencies - requires her to step in when someone is going to hurt themselves or hurt others. Throughout her years of working, the amount of students that she has helped in each of these three areas is innumerable and her success is endless.

Just because someone is successful in their job does not mean that they necessarily enjoy it. With Mrs. Farren, though, this is not even remotely the case. She absolutely loves her job and it is clearly evident in everything that she has achieved.

“I love everything about working at North - my job, my coworkers, and my students. A lot of people are not as lucky as I am,” said Farren.

Mrs. Farren does not go to work everyday with the sole intention of making money - she goes because she genuinely wants to help people and give them support. Just having this type of devotion is a great indicator as to the type of person that she is.

Now, one might assume that Mrs. Farren’s success ends here - being as skilled in her job and as devoted to her students as she is is already a massive undertaking! But, believe it or not, on top of everything that she already goes above-and-beyond for in her job, she is also an advisor for four different clubs! She helps run Allies, which is involved with the DOVE program and works to promote healthy relationships and eliminate domestic violence, as well as Making Positive Change, a group which focuses on topics of diversity and inclusion within the school. The remaining two clubs are Sewing Club, where students knit, crotchet, and sew together, and High School Quiz Show, which has student’s compete in trivia against other schools in Massachusetts and is broadcasted on TV.

Through these clubs that she runs, Mrs. Farren is able to bring students with the same interests together. Students are able to find something that they love and feel a sense of belonging and community along with it. This social involvement undoubtedly helps club members in all aspects of their lives, including school. This is just another example of Mrs. Farren’s support that she is always willing to give.

If you haven’t yet had the privilege of knowing Mrs. Farren, you should definitely make an effort to meet her. Each encounter that you have with her is a positive one that you will no doubt benefit from. She is a major support system at North Quincy High School and is unquestionably a great person to be acquainted with.

Article written by Mollie Nelson

Oct 14, 2021