J-D Counseling Department Mission Statement
In support of the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District’s commitment to excellence for all students, the counseling program strives to promote and support a holistic development of the student in all aspects, including: academic, career, personal and social development. In union with the faculty, parents and community, the J-D counseling program seeks to prepare its students for success in a diverse and ever-changing world.
Skip to: High school counseling | Middle school counseling | Elementary counseling | County mental health partnership
Our Beliefs
We believe that:
- Students, family, school, and community all share the responsibility for education.
- Learning is a lifelong process for each and every individual.
- All students benefit from purposeful evaluation, development and improvement of educational programs.
- Trust, fairness and respect should permeate every relationship.
- A physically safe, socially and emotionally supportive and educationally challenging environment that respects and values the diversity of our school community is essential to learning.
- Self confidence, self respect and self discipline are the result of personal growth, development and achievement.
- A wide range of educational experiences that focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are essential to prepare students for the future.
- Open, honest and effective communication results in strong relationships among students, staff, home and community.
- School counselors have an integral role to play in fostering a community that nurtures students’ academic, emotional and social growth.
- School counselors provide important opportunities for students to explore their developing interests and understanding of themselves.
Click here to view the district’s Comprehensive School Counseling Plan.
High School Counseling Staff
Denise Becher, school counselor
Kristin Butler, school counselor
Joe Colligan, school counselor
Theresa Goad, school counselor
Elaine Howe, school psychologist
Will Hartley, student assistance counselor
Amber Schmitt, secretarial support staff
Serena Wadsworth, school counselor
The J-D High School Counseling Department supports students in planning their pathway throughout the high school years. Counselors assist with post-secondary planning towards college, employment or other vocational opportunities as well as addressing students’ personal, social and emotional needs.
Middle School Counseling
Nicholas Bentley, school counselor (grade 5)
Daniel Rechtorovic, school counselor (grade 6)
Samantha Siderakis, school counselor (grade 7)
Cortney Weissenborn, school counselor (grade 8)
The J-D Middle School Counseling Center assists students in every way possible to meet success while in middle school and prepare them for high school. Counseling is a service designed to help all students to identify and achieve personal goals.
Elementary School Counseling
Jamesville Elementary School
Tara Taylor, social worker
Megan Keukelaar, school psychologist
Moses DeWitt Elementary School
Sarah Hayes, social worker
Beth Mackenzie, psychologist
Tecumseh Elementary School
Molly Schunck, School Counselor
Kelly Beaudoin, School Psychologist
The J-D elementary counseling departments address the personal, social, emotional and academic needs of all students. Counseling staff members work closely with the administration, staff and parents to help students feel confident, responsible and productive.
District partners with Onondaga County for greater student mental health supports
Thanks to a partnership with Onondaga County, Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District students are receiving greater access to mental health supports and community resources, and a new mental health clinic is operating within J-D Middle School.
In March 2022, the county announced a $5.5 million expansion to its School Based Initiatives program to include a three-tiered approach to provide schools more mental health services and access to community resources. To provide these services to schools, the county is contracting with agencies that have expertise in providing mental health services and coordinating community support services, including Arise, Coordinated Care Services, Helio Health and Liberty Resources. Jamesville-DeWitt is participating in each of the three tier services.
Tier 1: Promise Zone Specialists
The county’s Tier 1 service is designed to increase the capacity and efficacy of service delivery to all students to ensure social, emotional and academic achievement, according to the program overview. Each of J-D’s three elementary schools will have a Coordinated Care Services Inc. employee assigned to the school as a promise zone specialist. This person is charged with helping students, families and staff identify what may be hindering a student’s academic success and to intervene accordingly, which could include sharing their observations with a district staff member, performing student check-ins and check-outs and supporting the district’s Second Step program, which focuses on developing students’ social-emotional skills.
The promise zone specialists essentially serve as another set of eyes and ears on the ground, interacting with students at times such as arrival and dismissal, lunch and recess. They are watching for students who may need additional support and are helping to continue to foster an overall positive school environment.
The promise zone specialists are involved in team meetings with school staff weekly to discuss individual student and family needs. Daily communication between the promise zone specialist and the school building leaders, social workers, elementary counselor and staff are on-going throughout the day.
Tier 2: ACCESS Specialists
The county’s Tier 2 service provides for ACCESS Liaisons employed by Coordinated Care Services to work in each of the district’s five schools. ACCESS Liaisons review referrals from school staff and seek to provide connections between families and health and human service agencies that could provide assistance with critical needs, such as heat, food and shelter. Their areas of expertise include solving student attendance challenges, increasing student engagement so students feel more connected to their school community and navigating the mental health system, including the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.
The liaisons can assist families in finalizing paperwork to enroll in assistance programs, make connections with mental health providers and conduct home visits to engage with students and families. They will typically work with the same students and families for a period of 30-90 days to ensure their identified needs are being met.
The liaisons will meet throughout the year with school staff to take referrals and problem-solve and brainstorm ideas for solutions to individual student and family needs.
Tier 3: School-Based Mental Health Treatment
The county’s Tier 3 service provides for a school-based mental health clinic. The clinic at J-D is operated by Helio Health and based at J-D Middle School. It is staffed by one clinician who is a licensed social worker and one case manager. Both are Helio Health employees. The district anticipates that the clinic will be replicated at J-D High School in the 2022-23 school year.
The clinician can have up to 25 patients at a time and will see J-D students who are referred to the clinic the same as if the clinic was operating at an off-campus location. While the district is providing the space for the clinic, it will operate independently from the district. The clinician will bill insurance, and the district is not involved in patient care or clinic finances.
The benefit to the district in having the clinic in one of its schools is that students who are under the clinician’s care will be able to be seen during the school day, potentially reducing the amount of time they would miss instruction if they otherwise would have to be picked up during the school day and taken to an off-site provider. Also, when not in client sessions, the clinician will be available to consult with school staff.
The clinic hours will be 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 7:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Fridays. The extended hours on Mondays and Wednesdays will allow students and parents to attend together should the need arise.