President's Letter: ISCA Grows in Size and Scope

The Illinois School Counselor Association has been hard at work this year providing professional development and support to school counselors throughout the state. In response, we have seen ISCA membership increase to more than 1,000 members for the first time in ISCA history! It is so important for every school counselor to consider being a member of ISCA and, we hope, to join this vibrant professional organization. The more members we have, the stronger our collective voice can advocate for school counselors. Share with your colleagues the benefits of membership!

We are also thrilled to announce that Kirsten Perry, school counselor from Lawndale Community Academy, has been chosen as a finalist for the ASCA’s School counselor of the Year! Kirsten was selected as Illinois School Counselor of the Year last April. She is one of six school counselors from the entire country selected as an ASCA finalist. Kirsten is the model for all school counselors in how to implement a comprehensive school programs that is grounded in data,
focused on student needs, and results in schoolwide changes. We are so very proud of Kirsten!

Following is list of current and upcoming activities for Illinois school counselors.

• The Illinois Developmental Counseling Model is now in the public comment phase. We are planning to officially release this amazing document at the ISCA conferences in April. It is rich in resources to assist school counselors in implementing comprehensive school counseling models.
• ISCA hosted two professional conferences on suicide prevention at upstate and downstate locations. More than 250 attendees learned from experts in the field of suicide prevention.
• ISCA will host two professional conferences in February on counselor ethics, presented by Carolyn Stone from ASCA. She was in Illinois four years ago and we sold out her professional development event. Publicity materials will be coming out soon. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn about the ethics that need to guide the decisions of school counselors.
• On February 6, 2018, ISCA will host a workshop, “How to Get a School Counseling Position.” The workshop will provide important information to put candidates in the best possible position to be a school counselor.
• For the first time, ISCA will award scholarships to two students to support their post-secondary plans. The scholarship application will be sent to ISCA members in the next couple of months.
• The ISCA Board has decided to move forward on a RAMP Mentor Program and will be soliciting mentors from across the state in the next month. We will then send out an application for emerging RAMP school to request a RAMP mentor. Illinois had the third highest number of RAMP schools this year and we hope to continue building on this success.
• Leslie Goines, president-elect and conference chair for ISCA, has two great conferences being planned for next April. Be sure to visit the ISCA website for details or download the ISCA App. You don’t want to miss these conferences.

Want to get involved? Visit the ISCA website and contact us. We would love to have you involved!

Contact Vince Walsh-Rock, ISCA president, at vwalsh-rock@csd99.org