It is not too early to be thinking about National School Counseling Week, Feb. 5–9. 2007. ASCA encourages you to observe this week with special targeted activities that will help you reach out to the school board, your own school faculty and administrators, the parents and children whom you directly serve and the community. National School Counseling Week provides you, as a counselor, with the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the wide array of school counseling services you provide on a day-to-day basis. During this celebration and the weeks leading up to it, you can visibly highlight ongoing counseling programs and the unique contributions of school counselors.

Below you will find myriad ideas – with a timetable – to help you plan and promote school counseling during National School Counseling Week. Before you read on, however, keep in mind that these ideas are not without a warning: Do not get overwhelmed.

If you work within a very large counseling department, with many counselors who can share responsibilities for promoting National School Counseling Week, you may have no problem initiating and implementing a comprehensive outreach effort. However, if you are a lone practitioner at one school or must travel from school to school, don't spend time worrying about how much you can do. The most important thing is to find at least one or two activities you are comfortable with and do something.

Remember: You do so many incredible things in the course of the school year on behalf of the students you serve, this is the week to share information about the great resource that you are. This is your week to shine!

Four to Six Weeks Prior to National School Counseling Week
Get yourself a countdown calendar to write in dates and deadlines for various activities and follow up.

Consider developing a theme around which to revolve your National School Counseling Week activities. Select one that is particularly fitting for your program. ASCA has chosen "School Counselors: Helping Students Reach New Heights” as its theme for the year. Feel free to use this one or one of your own choosing.

Contact your school board to determine available outlets to recognize National School Counseling Week. These might include the superintendent's monthly newsletter, countywide meetings, etc. Agendas for school board meetings generally fill up quickly. In a large number of school districts, two meetings are scheduled each month and only one is considered an open, or public, session. If you and your counseling colleagues would like to make a presentation on school counseling programs in February, it is essential to call the board of education secretary now to reserve a time slot.

Investigate the possibility of having your superintendent issue a proclamation for National School Counseling Week. If this is possible, arrange for a date for the signing and arrange to have a photographer present. Coordinate public relations efforts with superintendent's office to send out a photo of the proclamation signing to the local press. If you do not succeed in getting the proclamation signed by the school superintendent, bring it to your mayor, superintendent, principal or other town or school dignitary for his/her signature. Coordinate public relations efforts with person's office to send out a photo of the proclamation signing to the local press.

Contact the PTA president at your school to let him/her know that you would like to speak about the role of the counselor in the school during the February PTA meeting. You might want to consider having two or three children from the school come to the meeting, as well, to talk about how you helped them solve a particular problem. Prepare handouts for those present at the meeting.

Talk to your principal to get on the agenda at a February faculty meeting to highlight the school's counseling program, discuss any new counseling programs, ideas and reiterate school counselors' commitment to helping the school's teachers.

Order any promotional items (i.e. ribbons, buttons, balloons) that you want to distribute to staff, school board, parents or students during National School Counseling Week.

Organize a group of counselors to visit local state representatives to talk about school counselor legislative concerns.

Check the school calendar to see if there are any schoolwide events planned during the week of Feb. 2-6. If so, plan to set up a counseling information table to share information with parents who will be visiting the school during that time.

Three Weeks Prior to National School Counseling Week
Find out the deadline for the February issue of your school's newsletter. Talk to the PTA president or newsletter editor about submitting a Counselor's Corner article for that issue. Use this opportunity to reiterate the fact that school counseling programs are beneficial to everyone at the school -- faculty, administrators, parents and students alike. Highlight National School Counseling Week, activities that you have planned for that celebration and any new counseling programs you might be using during this school year. You might also suggest making this column into an ongoing feature, covering different areas of counseling every month, every other month or several times a year. This is an excellent way to raise awareness all year for the counseling function at your school.

In your weekly classroom discussions or meeting with students, make them aware that National School Counseling Week is coming up, and reinforce the importance of counseling at the school. Explain why you are trying to build awareness of school counseling and let them know that you are always there for them.

Contact local radio stations to determine if any of them will accept a public service announcement (PSA) regarding National School Counseling Week and determine the deadline for getting the PSA to them.

Contact your local newspaper (generally the community or education reporter) about an article that would tie into coverage of National School Counseling Week. An editor/reporter might be interested in writing a story him/herself or might ask you to write an article and submit it. Some ideas for articles you might discuss with a reporter are:

• A timely article on school safety and how school counselors are helping students deal with conflict
• Successful guidance activities at local schools
• Spotlight on an outstanding school counselor who has been a leader, created an innovative program or has had a distinguished career as a counselor in the school system. Describe the counselor, the programs he or she has overseen, career highlights and any involvement in professional associations.
• An article about a school counseling program that has been successful in the school district, such a career development, dropout prevention/intervention or conflict resolution program.

Two Weeks Prior to National School Counseling Week
Starting now, designate students to create posters about school counseling to display at targeted strategic locations around the school. In addition to your theme, which should appear somewhere on each poster, posters should be designed to highlight counseling services at the school. Some ideas:

• A small hand mirror with a drawing or magazine picture of a student: "School counselors help us see the positive side."
• Several mirrors: "Counseling helps you...Reflect on life skills." Each mirror would have a life skill, such as understand your strengths and weaknesses; make better decisions; acquire better study habits; develop better leadership skills; and identify your abilities, interests and aptitudes.
• On black poster board, use white poster board in the shape of a light bulb: "Counselors light the way."
• Several light bulbs: "Seeing your counselor for help is a bright idea." Each light bulb has a question or a statement: "Do you have a problem?" " Need help with your future?" "Counselors care about you." "Counselors welcome parents."
• A drawing of a CD: "Need someone to listen? See your school counselor."
• Glove or outline of a hand: "Counselors lend us a helping hand."
• Umbrella: "Find shelter under the school counseling umbrella." On the umbrella, add the following: counseling information, developmental guidance, educational planning and careers.
• Picture of a telephone: "Need someone to call on? Talk to your counselor today."
• Picture of a glue stick: "Counselors help us out of sticky situations."

Send out a press release to local newspapers announcing National School Counseling Week. Many papers have community announcement sections. Also send the press release out to any reporters in the community you may have already contacted and who you might be working with on larger National School Counseling Week stories. (click here for sample press release). If you have a signed proclamation, attach a copy to the press release, and send a picture of the signing if you have one.

Week Prior to National School Counseling Week
Think of those who have been especially helpful to you in promoting your school counseling program. Write them a thank you letter or give them a certificate of appreciation. Recipients might be your school principal, teachers who have been particularly helpful, a parent who may be particularly supportive, the PTA president, etc. If you plan to mail them, get them out by Friday so that recipients will receive them during National School Counseling Week.

Write a memo to parents for backpack mail announcing that next week is National School Counseling Week (or ask your principal to write initial announcement) and include any handout material on your counseling program that you would like parents to have. Your materials should encourage parents to contact you with any questions they might have about counseling and your job as counselor at their school. If you have a signed National School Counseling Week proclamation, include a copy of the proclamation with materials that go home.

If your individual school has a Web site, be sure to post the press release about National School Counseling Week on your site. Again, include the proclamation if it has been signed. Also consider including a personalized message from you and how to contact you with any questions.

Continue to work with students on designing National School Counseling Week posters, and put them up in strategic locations around the school.

If your school has a sign/marquee in front of the building to announce events, list National School Counseling Week and dates.

Arrange for the principal, a staff member, or a student to announce National School Counseling Week on the first day of National School Counseling Week, either over the PA system, during a school TV newscast or through whatever other outlets might be available for such announcements at your school. Organize promotional items (i.e. ribbons, buttons, balloons you ordered weeks ago) for distribution on Monday morning, the first day of National School Counseling Week, to administration, teachers parents and students.

National School Counseling Week
If you've planned and implemented your activities on schedule, everyone should be aware that it is National School Counseling Week. Congratulations! This is your week to celebrate the very important role you play in your school and community as a school counselor.