In our last meeting of the year, the Counselor Advisory Council (CAC) organized student feedback collected from different student groups including Peer Assistance and Leadership, National Junior Honor Society, Teen Leadership, and grade level student representatives. The feedback was initially provided at a student leadership retreat with Jostens Renaissance during which students were asked to answer the prompt, “I wish my teachers/counselors/administrator knew...”. Counselors brought responses back to discuss with the CAC.

The CAC organized and disaggregated student responses into categories based on intended audience for review and discussion. Standout commentary included the need for additional support for transfer students and an increased student interest in small group counseling opportunities to build connections with counselors and peers. This was in line with student data collected earlier in the year that indicated approximately half of our students would like to foster stronger relationships at school.

The CAC worked together to discuss ideas and potential solutions related to addressing these two concerns. The council planned new procedures for the enrollment process of new students, and updated guidelines for student office workers in welcoming new students and introducing new students to their teachers. The outcome of this implementation showed that our new students felt more connected to our school and teachers felt better prepared to assist in the transition of new students throughout the year. In addition, the CAC collaborated with counselors to determine improved systems for recommending students to small group counseling opportunities. Counselors also visited with student groups to collect feedback on how they would like to learn about these opportunities.

The counseling team analyzed and evaluated our approach to small group opportunities to design and plan new ways to provide small group options to students including lunch groups, morning workshops, and collaboration with the No Place for Hate committee.