A Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) plays an integral role in the lives of students from the middle school through the high school. The main goal of a SAC is to provide education, intervention, and referral services to students who may be experiencing any type of personal difficulties. At the Eisenhower Middle School, the main emphasis is on educating the youth about the dangers of drug use, as well as being proactive in our approach to at-risk behaviors. Issues that affect students in the middle school include, but are not limited to, situations with peers, exposure and/or experimentation with drugs and/or psychiatric issues. My primary goal is to ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for all students, which is accomplished through identifying issues that prevent students from learning or being successful in school.
The SAC works closely with building and central administration, guidance counselors, faculty, and parents to better serve the needs of the students. With this union in place, the process for identifying issues that may arise throughout the school year has been streamlined, allowing us to be proactive in our approach.
The Student Assistance Counselor is available to address the needs of any student at any time and is committed to working with them on many different levels. This is done through one-on-one counseling, support groups, and classroom programs such as Character Education and School Safety. Support groups can be facilitated on an as needed basis or throughout the school year on topics such as: time management, anger management, changing families, grief, etc. The SAC also plays a large part in the implementation of conflict resolution and crisis intervention. In the event of a problem, strategies would be developed to help solve that issue.
Being available to the student body on varied levels is a very important aspect to the SAC position in the middle school. It allows the students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the services and resources that are available to them. The SAC at Eisenhower Middle School dedicates time and expertise on these different levels of need. These levels branch from the actual position as the SAC to the role of a mentor to the students through Student Council, Peer Leadership and REBEL II.
An important part of the SAC position is to be involved in building and district initiatives through community organizations. The United Way of Morris County has been a large part in our middle school initiative of identifying problems and responding to the unique needs of our school. We were lucky to be offered the opportunity to conduct the Game of Life two years in a row. This game offers our students the opportunity to increase their awareness of resources available in the community.
As a member of the Roxbury Municipal Alliance (ROMAC), the SAC participates in many district and community prevention initiatives. One of those initiatives is the Youth Drinking Forum. This forum is to help raise awareness about the growing concerns surrounding underage drinking and what we as a community can do to help. You may think that your child would not get involved with drinking or that you do not play a role in the prevention of underage drinking, however you do. Everyone has some role…What is yours?
If you have any questions about the Student Assistance Counselor or the Youth Drinking Forum please contact Geri Esposito, Eisenhower Middle School, Student Assistance Counselor, 973-584-2973 x1223.