BLS Guidance and Support Services Team In
addition to our guidance counselors, nurses, school psychologist, Student
Support Coordinator and Learning Center teacher, our Support Services team also
includes several others who coordinate and staff important programs supporting
our students. A complete staff list follows these brief program
descriptions. ALPHA – A Learning Place for Healing Adolescents ALPHA is
a short-term program at Boston Latin School for students returning to school
after an extended absence due to illness or
hospitalization. ALPHA helps students with their
re-entry and re-integration into school by supporting their academic, social
and emotional needs. ALPHA is designed as a place to aid students in the
transition back to BLS that minimizes stress and anxiety and encourages
students’ academic success at school. Students are recommended for the
ALPHA program by a guidance counselor. Determining if ALPHA is a suitable
fit is decided at the required re-entry meeting when returning from an extended
absence. School personnel, including teachers, guidance
counselors, nurses, and administrators are made aware of a student’s decision
to participate in the ALPHA program. However, details regarding the
student’s absence from school are kept confidential. The ALPHA program is
staffed by Erik Wagner, Special Education Teacher, and Vanessa Prosper, Ph.D.,
Clinical Coordinator. OMEGA – Ongoing Mental health and Emotional Guidance for
Adolescents The
OMEGA program is geared toward providing emotional and academic support to
students whose emotional difficulties have been severely interfering with their
ability to attend school and/or classes regularly and their ability to engage
in the classroom and/or produce academic work over a long period of time.
The OMEGA program is staffed by Erik Wagner, Special Education Teacher,
and Vanessa Prosper, Ph.D., Clinical Coordinator. The Children's Hospital Neighborhood Partnership The Children’s Hospital Partnership provides Boston Latin School with a psychologist, Dr. Amy Kaye and Ms. Ginelle Vasquez, MSW, assist in meeting the mental health needs of our students. Dr. Kaye and Ms. Vasquez work with our guidance counselors, school psychologist, clinical coordinator, nurses, and classroom teachers in an effort to meet these needs. In addition to consulting with staff and providing preventative programs for our students, they also work directly with students who have been referred by their counselors. They make referrals to service providers, provide counseling to students, offer support in emergencies, and serve as integral part of the Boston Latin School Support Services Team. If you have questions about these services, please contact William Murray, Student Support Coordinator, or Megan Clougherty, Program Director for Guidance and Support Services. Saturday Success School and After School Tutoring Saturday
Success School offers help and enrichment to students in classes VI, V and IV
from 9 A.M. to noon on Saturday mornings from November through May.
Teachers, alumni volunteers and upper level students provide individual
instruction to students, who thrive under this personal attention. The
After School Tutoring Program is a drop-in program available to students in
Classes VI, V and IV from 2:15 pm until 3:15 pm on Monday through Thursday from
October through May. Students with expertise in a variety of
academic areas serve as tutors and the program is coordinated by BLS
teachers. Both
programs are overseen by Mr. Michael Giordano, Director of the McCarthy
Institute for Transition and Support. Schawbel College Resource Center The
Schawbel College Resource Center provides resources and opportunities for both
students and parents to learn about colleges, the college admissions process,
as well as current trends, procedures, and testing requirements. College
counseling classes are offered to all juniors and these classes cover all
aspects of the college search and application process. The Center also
arranges meetings for juniors and seniors with college admissions representatives
who visit BLS after school during the fall. The director is Alyssa Frank. Boston PIC The
Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) is a very important partner in our
efforts to provide students at Boston Latin School with preparation for both
college and careers. Taryn Beatty, our PIC Career Specialist is
located in the Schawbel College Resource Center. Boston PIC provides our
students with the support and assistance they need in preparing for both job
and college interviews. In addition to meeting with students individually to
discuss their plans, Boston PIC provides students with mock interviews and
helps with presenting our interview skills workshops. Throughout the
year, the Boston PIC provides our students with information about many
internship and volunteer positions. Our Career Specialist also help
coordinate several fellowship programs, including our most successful, the Ward
Fellowship. In addition, Boston PIC provides information about and
access to summer and part-time employment possibilities. The Zone The
Boston Scholar Athlete Program offers a program for all BLS athletes that
offers access to academic assistance through peer and outside tutoring and
mentoring services, work stations equipped with computers and internet
access, monthly forums on important issues facing high school students, and
improved relationships and strengthened camaraderie with teammates. SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program The
teen years are marked by a rollercoaster ride of emotions - difficult for
teens, their parents, and educators. It is easy to misread depression as
normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental
illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age, and the past decade
has seen suicide rates double. In
order to proactively address this issue, Boston Latin School offers depression
screening and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs
of Suicide Prevention program to all students in Classes VI and
IV. This program has proven successful at increasing help-seeking by
students concerned about themselves or a friend, and is the only school-based
suicide prevention program selected by SAMSHA for its National Registry of
Evidence-Based Programs and Practices that addresses suicide risk and
depression, while reducing suicide attempts. Our
goals in participating in this program are straightforward: · To
help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness, and help
them assess whether or not they may have symptoms consistent with depression. · To
explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of
untreated depression. · To
provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential
suicidality in a friend. · To
impress upon teens that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the
simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns. The
depression screening tool that students will complete during
the SOS session cannot provide a diagnosis of depression, but does
give an indication of whether a young person should be referred for an
evaluation by a mental health professional. Guidance counselors and
support staff follow-up with students as needed. |