Webinar Follow-Up: School Counseling From a Distance
Supporting Students During COVID-19
View the Webinar Recording
This webinar, hosted by SREB in
partnership with Common Application Inc. (Common App), built on
the previous webinar of the same name on how to provide school
counseling services virtually. In this webinar, a panel of
leading experts in school counseling shared their insights
on how they are supporting students’ academic, college/career,
and social-emotional needs when schools are closed or have moved
to online instruction.
In addition, Stephanie Owens from Common App shared Reach Higher’s plans to virtually celebrate graduating students this upcoming College Signing Day season.
PRESENTERS
Brian Coleman, a former
actor, found his love for education and students while performing
with About Face Theatre company and its youth talk-back program.
These programs encouraged him to earn his master’s degree in
education and pivot into the school counseling field. Brian is
known for his holistic approach to school counseling.
His numerous achievements led to his being named the 2019
national School Counselor of the Year by the American School
Counselor Association.
Laura Ross is a school
counselor at Five Forks Middle School in Lawrenceville,
Ga. and the 2020 School Counselor of the Year. A
passionate advocate for restorative justice, Ross developed a
multi-tiered intervention plan that reduced discipline referrals
for African American and Latino males by 32% in a single
year. She is also the founding sponsor of the school’s
first Gay-Straight Alliance, serves as a cadre trainer for the
Dove Self-Esteem Project, and is the school district’s Counseling
Steering Committee middle school chair.
Christina Welch has been a K-8
school counselor for 15 years. She has been the NC School
Counseling Association President and currently serves on the NC
School Counseling Strategic Leadership Team, Reach Higher
Leadership Team, and the NC Public School Forum for Mental
Health. In 2013 Ms. Welch was named NC Elementary School
Counselor of the Year and in 2014 was a Semi Finalist for the
American School Counselor of the Year.
Stephanie Sprow
Owens serves as the director of programming for
the Reach Higher program at the Common App. In that role,
she leads campaigns to support students’ efforts to go to and
complete college and serves as an advisor to former First Lady
Michelle Obama regarding high school and postsecondary
completion. Previously, Stephanie served in multiple roles at
the U.S. Department of Education under President Barack Obama’s
administration, most notably with Mrs. Obama’s domestic education
initiative.