The CharacterStrong Podcast

Today our guest is Christi Sturgeon a School Counselor at Broken Arrow High School and is Oklahoma School Counselor of the Year for 2021-22. We talk to Christi about how important it is to find our purpose and how we can stretch ourselves and model that for students. She shares 7 things that we can do to help students focus on looking forward, and some of the ways that this can have an impact. Christi graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology followed by a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is currently both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified School Counselor. She started her career in community mental health working at the former Shadow Mountain Hospital as the Assistant Director of Therapeutic Foster Care Services, but quickly learned that the way to really impact children and families early on was by working in the school setting. Christi is currently serving as a School Counselor in Broken Arrow Public Schools and is in her 25th year. She was the Lead Elementary Counselor In Broken Arrow prior to moving to the high school and has been recognized by the Oklahoma School Counselor Association as the Emerging Leader Grant Winner (2018) and the Oklahoma School Counselor of the Year for 2021-22. Christi is passionate about serving her students and helping them prepare for the next stage of life. She is a strong advocate for school counseling best practice not only in her district but across the state as well through her service on the former Superintendent's Counselor Advisory Council and now as Treasurer and President-Elect of the Oklahoma School Counselor Association. When she isn't busy with work, you can find her teaching Sunday School or attending band contests as a proud former Broken Arrow Pride Band Mom!

Today our guest is Barb Micucci, Barb is a recently retired elementary school counselor and was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Barb about the importance of school-wide SEL programming as we support all students & the impact that can happen when all staff has a common language. She shares how setting the tone right at the beginning of the day helps shape the climate in our classrooms, and why character ed is so important right now. Barb Micucci has been an educator for 41 years. She began her career as a special education teacher before becoming a school counselor. Her school counseling career began in 1986 in the Philadelphia School District and she spent the past 23 years in the Upper Merion Area School District. Barb was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. Her school received RAMP recognition in 2017. She has served in various capacities on her local, state, and national association, serving on the ASCA board. Barb has frequently presented at state and national conferences on a variety of topics. She was an adjunct professor at Arcadia University and the University of Pennsylvania. She has spent her adult life advocating on behalf of her students and their families. She recently retired in June of 2021.

We talk to Dr. Cook about ways that the pandemic has impacted students and how we can leverage the science around human behavior to help promote student success. He outlines effective methods of behavior change, and gives practical, low burden, high impact strategies that we can use right now as we serve students.

We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! On todays episode Melvin shares about the importance of building trust and relationships with our students and colleagues. He also talks about how he got started with the WA State Counselors Association, and highlights the importance of showing up and providing opportunities for others. Melvin J. Fields Jr., certified School Counselor at Yelm Middle School in Yelm, Washington is current President of the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA) for 2021 – 2022. He is the Washington School Counselor Association's 55th president and the first African American to serve in that position. The organizational mission of WSCA is promoting best practices in, and advocates for, Professional School counseling.Their vision is to further develop Professional School Counselors expertise by providing leadership and professional development that promotes positive student outcomes in the areas of Academic Support, Career Planning, and Personal/Social Development, thereby enhancing achievement for every student. Melvin is also an Adjunct Professor and teaches Diversity in Education at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, WA. He is a second year Leadership Studies doctoral student and also pursuing a certificate in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Saint Martin's University, where he also earned his School Counselor certification. He previously earned a Master's Degree in Organization Management from Webster University and Bachelor's of Arts Degree from Troy University. Melvin retired as a Command Sergeant Major in 2015, serving 27 years and three combat tours in the U.S. Army, where he earned the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit. Melvin has been married for the past 33 years to the former Tamela Marie Clemons, they have two children, Alanté and Camerin. Melvin is the son of Denyvetta Davis and Melvin J. Fields Sr. The theme for this year's presidential team is, COURAGE-COMMITMENT-COMMUNITY and he is humbled by this awesome opportunity to positively impact students and serve others.

We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Monica about the many ways that she serves the families, staff, and students at her school. She also shares about the benefits of having a comprehensive counseling program and talks about how collaboration & relationships in the community help support the work in schools. Monica Bryant has been an elementary school counselor for 7 years and is in her 12th year in education. She is passionate about cultural competency, advocacy, and creating equitable environments in school settings. She is always looking for ways to spread knowledge and awareness to others on issues surrounding inequities in schools. Monica is very active in the community as a board member for Clark Country Education Association, president of the Nevada School Counselor Association, and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. In her free time, Monica likes to craft, bake, and watch crime shows.

We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Roberto about ways that he builds great relationships at Milwaukie HS, and the role that authenticity plays in those relationships. He also shares about the impact that student affinity groups have had and how they started them. Roberto Aguilar is a proud, native eastern Oregonian, Latinx/Chicano, "Spanglish" bilingual, first-generation college graduate, and a school counselor for the past 20 years at Milwaukie HS located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Roberto has been recognized as the 2017 Oregon School Counselor Association school counselor of the year and was a national finalist for the 2019 American School Counselor Association school counselor of the year award. Roberto also serves as the current Oregon School Counselor Association President for the 2021-22 school year.

We are celebrating National School Counseling Week! We talk with Kat about the critical role that counselors play in our schools. She shares about the importance of advocating for school counseling, and overviews ways that CharacterStrong is helping to celebrate all of the counselors in our schools.

We talk with Dr. Clayton Cook about his new role at CharacterStrong and he shares why implementation is needed today now more than ever. Dr. Cook also talks about ways the CharacterStrong team is partnering with schools, and he gives 3 practical implementation steps that schools can do right now.

Today our guest is Sonjanita Moore, a Secondary Specialist here at CharacterStrong. We talk with Sonjanita about the need for including student voice and student choice in our classrooms. She also shares how community agreements are one way that we can include students, and gives examples of impact that came from creating space for students to share.

Today our guest is Julie Hinshaw, the Director of K-12 Curriculum for CharacterStrong. On this episode we talk to Julie about community agreements. She shares about what community agreements are, why they are important, and gives 5 ways that we can help keep them fresh for our students.