Medora receives faculty counseling grant

Medora Neighborhood College Corp. lately obtained a $230,000 Complete College Counseling Grant from the Indiana Division of Schooling.

It was accredited throughout Monday’s board of faculty trustees assembly.

Along side Nationwide College Counseling Week final week, the Indiana Division of Schooling introduced the recipients of $5 million in funding, which can help 26 faculty districts, constitution faculties and group companions to additional develop and increase faculty counseling companies and assets that may enhance the well-being of scholars, achievements and school and profession readiness.

“Due to Equitable Schooling Options, Dr. Michael Langevin and Cindy Hurst for serving to us file for the grant at no additional value to us,” Superintendent Roger Bane mentioned.

Profitable purposes specified how grant funding would enhance counselor-to-student ratios and set up or additional strengthen partnerships with group organizations and employers.

Medora Junior-Senior Excessive College Principal Kara Hunt mentioned the Indiana Division of Schooling notifies faculty directors when there are grants out there to public faculties.

On Feb. 3, she was notified Medora’s grant could be absolutely funded.

“I used to be very excited for our company to be awarded this grant as I consider it would tremendously profit college students and workers,” Hunt mentioned.

“College counselors are uniquely positioned to supply college students with quite a few necessary companies, together with steering in finishing all vital programs and different commencement necessities, encouraging exploration of profession and postsecondary alternatives and general well-being help,” mentioned Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of training.

“The recipients of this grant perceive the significance of complete faculty counseling and the vary of help our college students want as a way to attain their full potential,” she mentioned. “With this extra funding, they are going to be higher outfitted to help the wants of their group and in the end transfer the needle for his or her college students.”

Hunt mentioned with the grant, the college will rent a full-time licensed psychological well being therapist or medical social employee to satisfy the scholars’ social, emotional and behavioral wants.

The duties on this place will embody aiding college students with private or social issues that intervene with studying. The social employee additionally will assist implement social-emotional studying classes, counsel college students by means of direct one-to-one companies and help households by connecting with exterior suppliers and psychological well being assets.

This place will enable the present steering counselor to focus extra on lecturers, commencement pathways and postsecondary info.

When first establishing the Complete College Counseling Grant, the Indiana Division of Schooling recognized three key targets to additional help pupil achievement, well-being and school and profession readiness.

The targets are to increase the variety of Indiana faculties offering a complete faculty counseling program, explicitly outline the position of a faculty counselor in enhancing pupil outcomes because it pertains to the 5 pupil traits of Indiana Graduates Ready to Succeed and create a community of progress monitoring to evaluate effectiveness and determine areas in want of extra native help and steering.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunt mentioned she has seen a surge of scholars in want of psychological well being help. With this grant and the hiring of a social employee, she hopes this can put much less stress on households and educators as extra college students will be capable to obtain the assistance they want.

“We at the moment work with a psychological well being supplier who visits the college and sees college students who’ve been referred for psychological well being points with the help of fogeys,” Hunt mentioned. “Nevertheless, the demand for care far outweighs the supplier’s capability to supply help, and college students who want psychological well being care are placed on an extended ready record, which is irritating for folks and educators.”

With the grant being absolutely funded, Hunt mentioned it would cowl not solely the wage and advantages of a full-time social employee for 3 years however enable the college to incorporate assets for educational workers. The college will use $30,000 to supply entry to private and confidential psychological well being companies for employees.

“We’re assured that our pupil physique shall be higher served once we additionally take measures to make sure that our counselors, academics and different workers members are mentally wholesome,” she mentioned.

Hunt mentioned the well-being of the academics and workers is necessary not just for the academics themselves however for the scholars’ studying environments. With these psychological well being companies impacting the academics, Hunt mentioned it would not directly influence the scholars, as nicely.

“By addressing pupil psychological well being points and connecting households to group assets, pupil studying and achievement ought to improve,” she mentioned.

Funding for the Complete College Counseling Grant is allotted as a part of the state’s federal Elementary and Secondary College Emergency Reduction plan. By way of this grant, greater than 117,000 college students throughout 17 Indiana counties shall be supported.