MEMS School Counseling Phone:607-786-8279 or 607-786-8277
FAX:607-786-5137
Meet the MEMS School Counseling Staff:
Marisa Maney, School Counselor for students with last names starting with letters A-L
Mrs. Maney has been a School Counselor for over 20 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from SUNY Oswego and a Master's of Education Degree with a concentration on School Counseling K-12 from SUNY Oneonta. She took additional Graduate courses at SUNY Oswego and Indiana Weselyn University.
Beth Zunic, School Counselor for students with last names starting with letters M-Z 607-786-8279 X3007
[email protected]
Mrs. Zunic has been a School Counselor for over 20 years. Beth has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Bonaventure University and a Master's of Education Degree with a concentration on School Counseling K-12 from Springfield College, MA and SUNY Oneonta.
Lynn Shady, MEMS Counseling Office Secretary
[email protected]The Guidance Secretary is responsible for student registrations, record retention and requests and will help with any general questions about the middle school or guidance office.
Role of the School Counselor:
Each Counselor at MEMS has a caseload of almost 300 students, works with over 500 parents/families, and has contact with more than 40 teachers and various other school staff/employees on a regular basis.
The School Counselor is the primary case manager for all of the students in the school. He or she provides a developmental, proactive guidance program to all students. The program promotes the mental health necessary for academic success, self-sufficiency and responsible community membership.
In New York State, professional School Counselors hold master’s degree plus 30 hours of further education with state certification. School Counselors have a strong understanding of how children develop and learn. They are certified in grades K-12.
Each level carries varied responsibilities, but there are three primary developmental areas the school counselor focuses on:
Career skills: School Counselors introduce and enhance students’ skills in areas of career preparation. They teach students about their interests and help them understand how to transfer their skills into the world of work.
Academic skills: School Counselors help students to understand and enhance their academic progress. They offer assistance in study skills as well as other strategies to help students be successful.
Personal/social skills: School counselors work with students to aid them in building positive relationships with others. They help students understand themselves so that they may be mentally healthy. They teach skills such as anger management, stress reduction and general life coping strategies.
The school counselor coordinates school, community and district resources for the development of students in all skill areas. The school counselor works with families and their children when referrals to special programs, specialists, and community agencies are in need.