High school years are exciting ones filled with new challenges and adventures for students. Yet through it all, Saint Viator’s counseling staff provides the one constant over the course of a student’s four years.

The staff consists of one counselor per grade level, a dedicated college counselor, and an administrative assistant who handles all of the college applications and correspondence. Consequently, students are assigned to their advisor during freshman year, and they remain with them all four years.

During one of their first meetings, the counselor and student will map out a proposed course schedule taking them through all four years, targeting the college admissions requirements for the student’s suggested choices.

Counselors also partner with parents in ensuring students’ success. Right at the start of freshman year, they hold a Parents’ Night, to keep them informed of what their students will be experiencing during their first year of high school. These Parents’ Nights continue each year as counselors address grade-specific topics.

The Counseling staff coordinates Saint Viator’s testing program beginning with the EXPLORE Test during freshman year. In subsequent years, students take the PLAN and PSAT tests, which prepare them for the ACT and SAT tests.      

After each round of tests, counselors help students and parents interpret the results, but this much they know: they are committed to helping students get into the best college possible.

They encourage parents and students to use the Family Connection program in the Web-based Naviance system,to access their college profiles. The system allows families to track college admissions data and profiles of accepted students, as well as entrance test scores and other information in researching colleges.   

The counseling staff also presents college panel discussions, financial aid and scholarship information nights, a Catholic college fair, and a presentation on the special education college admission process.

Members of Saint Viator’s counseling staff all hold advanced degrees and are trained to intervene with students who experience psychological and emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction, grief and bullying.

Yearly workshops sponsored by the American Counseling Association and the American School Counselor Association help keep them current with any new trends and assessments. Referrals to outside professionals are provided, as needed.

• All Counselors hold advanced degrees and are assigned one to a grade level ensuring that a student will have the same counselor all four years.
• A dedicated college counselor rounds out the staff, reinforcing the department’s focus on helping students get into the best college possible, as well as a full time administrative assistant who coordinates the mailing of college materials and applications --- typically 1,000 per year --- while maintaining students’ files.
• Students and their families gain access to the Family Connection/Naviance system, which tracks college admissions data and profiles of accepted students at desired college choices.
• Counselors partner with parents during Parent Night presentations as well as at college panel discussions, financial aid and scholarship information nights, a Catholic college fair, and at a presentation on the special education college admission process.
• Counselors are trained to intervene with students who experience psychological and emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction, grief, and bullying.