In the bustling hallways and vibrant classrooms of an elementary school, school counselors are often seen greeting students with a friendly smile. These dedicated professionals play a crucial role as members of student support teams creating a positive and nurturing environment where every child feels safe, valued, and empowered. But, their impact extends far beyond that. Counselors are also proactive educators, visiting classrooms regularly to equip students with invaluable life skills. Through engaging lessons and school programs, they guide students in a variety of topics such as navigating peer conflict resolution, building strong friendships, and even sparking early interest in career exploration, which was this month’s focus.
“Career exploration at the elementary level is actually very important because it helps young students discover their interests, strengths, and values early on,” says Pashley Elementary School Counselor Stephanie Macherone. “It also gives them the opportunity to connect those attributes with potential future careers, helps foster career awareness, and encourages educational goal setting.”
This month, using the March Madness theme as a stepping stone, the three elementary school counselors (Jenna Haskel, Charlton Heights; Heather Strom, Stevens; and Stephanie Macherone, Pashley) collaborated on a career exploration lesson that spanned all three elementary schools. The counselors kicked off their lesson by visiting every classroom, K-5, to engage students in discussions about careers, including learning what their parents and other family members do for a living and getting students to think about the jobs of people they interact with or see on any given day (i.e., teachers, principals, postal workers, doctors, dentists, police officers, fire fighters, etc.) Based on classroom lessons with the counselors, the students were able to identify careers related to their current interests.
Using a list of popular careers that the students learned about in class, the students and counselors filled out mural-sized March Madness brackets at each elementary school. The fourth and fifth grade students then voted for their favorites to create the “Sweet 16” picks.
“Each week in March, every K-5 student will vote on the favorite career option based on what careers remain on the brackets,” explains Macherone. “They are all so excited to cast their votes and see which careers make it to the Elite 8, the Final Four, Top Two, and lastly the Career of the Year. This has been a really fun and engaging way to get kids involved in career exploration.”
During the first week of March, in conjunction with Career March Madness, Pashley students dressed in attire that represented their ideal profession.
“I’ve seen so many great career-specific outfits,” says Macherone. “The kids clearly put a lot of time and effort into this.”
At Charlton Heights, students participated in Pathways to Possibilities. This PTA/school event is aimed at helping students learn about a variety of career paths from adults, many of whom gave presentations or demonstrations, shared stories about their work, and even brought in items they might use or create at their jobs. For example, there were cupcakes for sampling, a police dog and a therapy dog for petting, x-rays to view, and even a race car to explore, to name a few, adds Jenna Haskel.
On March 28, Stevens students will also dress in their favorite career attire on Career Day as they announce the winner of the March Madness Career bracket and discover which profession has been selected as the “Career of the Year” (per BH-BL students).
“All throughout March, Stevens staff will be incorporating career awareness in various activities,” adds Heather Strom. “For example, students will share career-related fun facts or jokes during school announcements, and we will help kids produce weekly video announcements focused on career exploration.”
“In addition to my colleagues and I striving to provide students with a safe space at school where they feel comfortable and welcomed to share both their challenges and triumphs, we also know that elementary school counselors are essential in shaping confident, well-rounded children who are prepared to navigate life’s challenges, both in school and beyond,” adds Macherone.
“The significance of their work cannot be overstated,” says Assistant Superintendent Dr. David Collins. “By nurturing emotional and social development alongside academic growth, elementary school counselors lay a strong foundation for future success.”
