President's Letter: Growth and Gratitude

As we close in on the end of the 2022–23 school year, I want to take time to thank you for your membership and participation with NJSCA. As I shared in the fall, please know that as your president this year, I may have presided over our organization; however, each and every school counselor in our state guided the work we did. We are an organization that represents you and takes very seriously that we exist for the betterment of our students by providing what school counselors need and want. Your voice matters.

During our Leadership Development Institute last summer, we decided to focus on five areas. I am very proud to share that our work on membership has increased by over 10 percent and that we have about a quarter of all school counselors in New Jersey as members. Our strength does grow with membership numbers. Increasing our numbers increases our influence. Please continue to invite and encourage colleagues to join NJSCA.

We then worked on increasing our professional development offerings. In addition to our sold-out conferences and newsletters, we were able to share a variety of online webinars. Thank you to Adam Rothschild, Tracy Blauvelt and the newest member of the Professional Development committee, Jessica Miserentino, school counselor at Rahway High School, for all your grand efforts! We have three members who will be creating elementary-level programming for our organization – thank you Laurie Corizzo, Christine Cutinello and Florentina Crawford for leading the efforts for our elementary counselors! Another intention is to work on updating our mentorship program. The BIPOC committee has been very active, hosting book clubs and making presentations throughout our state. Laura Forstan Williams, our New Jersey school counselor of the year, and her committee are impressive and I am grateful for their work. Finally, our legislative/advocacy work has grown as well. Jessica Smedly, Jennifer Correnti and Sweety Patel spoke on our behalf recently at the NJPSA Legislative Conference.

Thank you for sharing a wonderful year with me in NJSCA. Our Spring Conference was attended by a sell-out crowd. Alma Lopez was inspirational – I’m so glad she agreed to speak to the New Jersey school counselors. I am looking forward to supporting Jason Sabino as our next president. Thank you, Jason, for such a wonderful spring conference and tremendous theme for our fall conference: “School Counselors – School Leaders.” Please be sure to attend the fall conference October 12-13, 2023, at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J.

As we wrap up the school year, we have celebrated our school counselors, middle and high school students and school counseling graduate students. NJSCA will continue its mission to provide school counselors with what they need and want to support the success of all students in New Jersey!

All my best to you for a summer filled with rest, peace, sun and warmth.

Contact Cindy Povall, NJSCA president, at cindypovall@gmail.com or 908-705-5526.