2 Wisconsin school counseling programs receive state honor

School counselor Bobby Phillips knows where to look for students who are struggling at Mound View Elementary in Dunn County — the data. 

“The data shows where we need to spend more time,” Phillips said. “Whether it’s attendance, incidents or behaviors — we’re looking for targeted interventions based on that data.”

The approach has paid off. The Department of Public Instruction awarded both Mound View and Little Chute High School in Outagamie the department’s inaugural Program of Excellence Awards.

The award recognizes school counseling programs using data-driven solutions to meet the needs of students.

Phillips spoke to WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about Mound View’s approach. He was joined by  Lisa Gretz and Michelle Mokrzycki, Little Chute’s high school counselors, which employ a similar approach. 

Gretz said that her school’s program involves more than just the counselors.

“It’s really important to collaborate with teachers, administrators, families, students to get a message across and build a relationship with students,” Gretz said.

Phillips agreed. “When I make phone calls home, I’m not here to lecture, I’m here to help,” he said.

The counselors said the state award application requires Wisconsin schools to undergo a program review to ensure it meets the highest standards of student care.

Little Chute began its program review four years ago during the pandemic.

“It really made us really dig into our program to make sure we’re providing the best services and a comprehensive school counseling model,” Mokrzycki said. 

The program review continued in the fall of 2021, when Little Chute students returned to in-person classes twice a week.

Mokrzycki and Gretz follow a counseling model that entails meeting with students in groups or individually. Both agree that their collaborative approach works for the 500 students attending the Fox Valley high school.

“Lisa and I divide (ninth through 12th grade students) by alphabet,” said Mokrzycki. “We have balance and I feel it helps provide the best counseling program.”

As the only counselor at Mound View, Phillips works with more than 500 students in preschool through fourth grade. 

He said that despite feeling stretched sometimes across student care, the school has a team approach in keeping an eye out for students who are struggling. 

Phillips explained that he meets with every preschool through fourth grade teacher at Mound View. He also meets with administrators, the school psychologist, the school success coordinator and local counseling agencies that provide in-school services.

Over the past few years, Phillips has seen an increase in mental health issues among students, who appreciate the chance to talk about problems they’re experiencing.  

“The kids that I work with are super excited when it’s their day to be seen by an outside counselor,” he said. 

All three counselors agree that building relationships with students means schools gain insight on the big picture of how to help students succeed.

At Little Chute, this sometimes means helping students feel more comfortable with math. Reviewing test scores can identify those who are struggling. 

“Over the past couple years, we had students who were unsuccessful in their early years of high school math,” said Gretz. “We created new classes and new interventions so more students could be successful.”

Mokrzycki said that she and Gretz work with eighth grade teachers to determine which high school math classes fit within a students’ skills.  “If students end up getting that F, it kind of defeats them,” she said. “If we can reach them before it gets to that point, they feel that level of success.”

For  a counseling program to be successful, counselors need follow-up with students to ensure students reach their goals, according to Gretz.

Mokrzycki added that having state standards for school counseling, like the award for excellence, means checks and balances are there to maintain successful services. 

“It’s a great service for our students to make sure that we’re offering the best counseling program that we can,” she said.