President’s Letter: Opportunities Ahead!

As we start back to a school year that looks like no other school year has looked before, I know we all have our reservations, fears and hopes for the immediate future. I work hard to try to focus on the opportunities ahead of us. What a time to grow your program in ways you have never thought of before.

Since March, we have had to do things differently. We’ve had to learn new platforms and new ways of connecting with our students. This year will be no different. I have already built a virtual office to provide resources to my students, thanks to the amazing ideas I see from other counselors across the country (it’s actually quite fun) and at my school we are working on a way to deliver our ICAP virtually for all students, in-building and online. Personally, I’ve struggled to reach our students that are not in the building and working through some of our alternative programs. I know my program will be more equitable by implementing more virtual opportunities. School counselors have had to get creative in so many ways and this is only the beginning of our creativity! Some of these new approaches will make a lasting impact on our school counseling programs and we will continue them well beyond the times when these are a necessity.

As always, ASCA is working to support school counselors during this time and has added so many new resources and town halls related to school reentry and continued support for growing your program, at www.schoolcounselor.org.

CSCA also understands the importance of supporting Colorado counselors through this transition. With the change to a virtual conference, we are able to reach counselors who would otherwise not be able to travel and still provide the top-notch professional development we are known for. You can register for the conference at www.coloradoschoolcounselor.org.

I encourage you to get connected to school counselor groups on social media or through the ASCA SCENE. You can follow CSCA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information on what is happening for school counselors across our state and to stay connected to our network of support.

Time to get creative. You’ve got this!

Contact Kelsey Rosten, CSCA president and a school counselor at Mountain View High School, at kelsey.rosten@coloradoschoolcounselor.org