Washington Middle School Counseling

The College Success Foundation has funded a full-time college awareness and career coach at Washington for the second straight year. Additionally, we have received half-time funding for a HERO advisor. This year, we are lucky to have Sydney Williams and Andre Benjamin working with our students.

Ms. Williams works with Middle School staff to provide college readiness programming with the overall goal of creating a college oriented culture within Washington Middle School. She works with the 8th grade general education classes once a week delivering college preparation curriculum. Her overall goal is to get students to make thoughtful decisions about their future.

Ms. Williams also co-facilitates an 8th grade girls group.  The purpose of this group is to discuss the transition from middle school to high school, explore the obstacles that may arise in middle and high school, share and learn from their experiences, and develop academic and leadership skills.

Finally, Ms. Williams will be coordinating this year’s Career Fair, for all students. When students have a positive vision for the future, it helps them to focus on their work and be more successful. We at WMS are lucky to have Ms. Williams aboard this year helping our students toward those long-term goals.

With a vast history in Education Andre Benjamin has a passion to see all students succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Currently serving at both Garfield HS and WMS, Andre specializes in serving students with Academic Coaching from 7-10th grade. He Is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University.

Welcome Sydney and Andre, and thank you!

Catherine Basl is a College Success Foundation and AmeriCorps volunteer working full-time for us this year. She’s been focusing on college and career awareness, helping with the College Bound applications, working on goal-setting in classrooms, consulting with teachers, and coordinating our first career fair in a decade. Here’s her report on where things are at the moment.

As Washington Middle School’s AmeriCorps College and Career Coach this year I have had over two hundred conversations with students about jobs and post-secondary education—and many discussions about what it means to be educated or have a career. I am excited to continue exploring future possibilities with Washington students this spring.

Career Fair!

Washington Middle School students began exploring career opportunities through a February career interest survey. In mid March students received the Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board’s Where Are You Going? guide). (Also check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Students website.) As a class, students reviewed the guide’s career interest surveys and career cluster descriptions of occupations. Then, on March 22nd Washington students heard from forty-seven community members including engineers, scientific writers, journalists, and the director of the Seattle Center. Speakers presented on their jobs, career experience, and…