President's Letter: Happy New Year...Let's Unite

Aloha Ka Kou! (Greetings to you!)

Welcome back after a much-deserved summer break. I am honored and beyond excited to serve as your WSCA president for the 2020–2021 school year. A Hawai’i native and island girl at heart, I am starting my 10th year as a school counselor and am currently working at Reeves Middle School in the Olympia School District. I have had quite the diverse middle and high school counseling career thus far, working with students in urban, suburban and predominantly military districts, starting in Massachusetts where I did my graduate work before returning to Washington in 2014. I also received my National Board Certification in School Counseling in 2018.  I immediately joined WSCA upon my return from the east coast and have been an active board member since 2015. I absolutely love this community and I always come away feeling inspired and rejuvenated. Our 2021 conference theme is “United; Connect. Lead. Advocate. Innovate.” This statement has so much meaning and will be instrumental in guiding our work this year.  

This year, we will not be welcoming students into our buildings as they get off the bus, helping students find their classes in crowded halls, or hosting in-person back-to-school nights. Instead, we will be seeing our students on a computer screen or in very small groups and will need to be ready to respond to the essential and emotional/mental health needs of students and families. We will also need to be there for our fellow staff members. Needless to say, students, families and staff need us more than ever, making it all the more important to exercise our leadership and advocacy skills. 

As school counselors, we naturally put others first because we are helpers by instinct. Although our work is rewarding, it can feel overwhelming and draining at times, which makes it imperative to practice self-care and stay connected with your fellow school counselors. Your rock star WSCA Board is working hard to ensure that you as members feel supported and empowered to advocate for yourselves in order to best serve students. When I ran for WSCA president two years ago, I stated the goal of strengthening communication to members about WSCA work behind the scenes. During our summer Leadership Institute, the board discussed how to “up the ante” on communicating about its work on behalf of members. We also discussed how WSCA would weave advocacy and equity into our overall work as an association. As a result, each board member, including me, included these three components into our work plans, which are very similar to action plans that we do in our buildings. Please visit the WSCA website and look for us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the year to see how WSCA is working for you! 

In the 2020–2021 school year, we will need alternative approaches to serve our students. This gives us the opportunity to think outside the box and be innovative in our practice. I shared this great Ted Talk video with the board: “Can you innovate within large organizations?” The presentation introduced “intrapreneurship,” the idea of being an entrepreneur and innovator within an organization. Our schools are organizations that need creative and innovative thinkers to drive the work. 

In closing, I encourage you to think about the powerful words in our theme:  unite, connect, lead, advocate and innovate, and use them as your compass as you navigate a school year that will bring unique challenges but also provide opportunities to reach students and families in new ways. Best wishes to you all and thank you for being a part of WSCA.

Hau’oli makahiki hou – Happy New Year! 

Contact Maria Castello, WSCA president, at Marisacastellowsca@gmail.com.