Hawley High School
School Counseling Department
Bill Esterby, M.Ed., L.S.C.
Licensed School Counselor serving grades 7-9
218.483.3555 ext. 1153
Laurie Sandness-Boeshans, M.S., L.S.C.
Licensed School Counselor serving grades 10-12
218.483.3555 ext. 1155
School Counseling Office Hours: Monday-Thursday - 8:00am-3:45pm / Friday - 8:00am-3:13pm
District Office Fax: 218.483.3510
What's happening in the school counseling office?
We have moved into the new Student Support Services office! Our new office is located by the new main entrance, across from the new high school office. The Student Support Services office (We're in the space formerly occupied by Ms. Kopacek, Ms. Hanson, and their paraprofessional team, across from where the district office used to be.) Please stop by to say hi and check out our new space :)
PSAT - optional for juniors. The PSAT will be given at HHS on October 22 for students who signed up with Mrs. Boeshans in September.
Seniors - Apply to many Minnesota colleges for free in October! As part of College Knowledge Month, many colleges in the state are waiving college application fees. (And some never charge an application fee - even better!) Click here for the list of participating colleges this year.
ASVAB - optional for juniors and seniors - November 7. The ASVAB will be given at HHS on November 7. This optional test is offered onsite free of charge - students can sign up with Mrs. Boeshans by October 16. The ASVAB is required for the military and is a nice career exploration tool for students who want to learn more about jobs that might be a good fit for them.
Senior Job Shadow Day - November 20. Note the date change from November 14 - the change is so we can avoid having kids out of the building on the day of the recently rescheduled high school band concert, which had to move to avoid conflicting with the national FFA convention - so many good things happening at HHS! More information to come later this fall!
Upcoming college admissions representative visits:
University of North Dakota - October 14 @ 9:45am
Minnesota State University Moorhead - October 14 @ 1:55pm
Minnesota Army National Guard - October 16 @ Sr. High lunch
CCRI - October 21 @ Sr. High lunch
Minnesota State Community & Technial College (all campuses) - October 30 @ Sr. High lunch
Mayville State University - October 30 @ 1:55pm
Bemidji State University - October 31 @ 12:15pm
Admissions reps will meet with interested 10th-12th graders in the new Student Support Services Office (across the hall from the new main office). Students should get a pass from Mrs. Boeshans in advance to be excused from class.
Students who have failed or anticipate failing a required class for graduation and are in need of credit recovery should see Mrs. Boeshans (grades 10-12) or Mr. Esterby (grades 7-9) in the fall. There are multiple credit recovery options available to students during the school year and summer through either area ALCs or online independent study. Students can also retake failed classes at HHS. Find information about credit recovery options here. Summer school is offered in Detroit Lakes and Moorhead. Summer school is not offered in Hawley.
Looking for information about transferring credits? Check out the info on Post-secondary Education tab!
Taking care of yourself resources:
Clay County Linkup website - Clay County used some of its CARES money to build a website to support students, parents, and educators. It shares free resources including videos about a variety of topics (self-care, parenting tips, coping strategies, fun stuff, and more). Sign-up using your school email address (students and educators) or your personal email address (parents).
Did you know there is a variety of mental health resources available right here in Hawley? You find a list of local providers on the Mental Health page of this website.
If you are in need of emergency or crisis services, please refer to the resources listed on our website.
HHS Calm Room - a private, quiet room in the high school office area set aside for students who need a space to calm and collect themselves. To use it, simply ask any member of the office staff to show you where it is.
Change to Chill - This website is created by Allina Health in collaboration with teens. It's all about mindfulness and stress relief.
Virtual Calming Room - a great collection of free, easy to access resources to help you find some calm in the midst of stress or just take care of yourself on a day-to-day basis. Thanks to the Wayzata High School Counseling Department for sharing this resource!
Nugget PSAs - A series of PSA (Public Service Announcement) videos around specific topics that may be useful to students. These videos are posted on Mrs. Boeshans's YouTube channel.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
What do Licensed School Counselors do?
School counselors are licensed by the Minnesota Board of Teaching and are required to have a master's degree in school counseling. We have specialized training to work with all students in grades K-12 individually, in small groups, and in the classroom setting. We support students, families, and school staff so students can be successful in school! We offer support in three main areas:
Academics
Career Exploration and Post-secondary Education Access
Social/Emotional Concerns
Want to learn more? Check out this brochure from the Minnesota School Counselors Association!
How do students and parents/guardians connect with us?
Students can self-refer or can be referred by parents/guardians or staff members. Students can stop by our office, leave us a note, send an e-mail, or let a secretary know they'd like to see us. Parents and guardians are welcome to stop by, call, or e-mail. (You'll have better luck catching us in our offices if you call ahead!)