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Unionville High counselor role drives jump in college-visit sign-ups
Summary
District leaders said the first full year of a PCCD-funded college-and-career counselor at Unionville High has driven a large increase in student engagement: sign-ups for college visits rose from roughly 140 at this point last year to 518 so far this year.
Dr. Amy Jenkins, Unionville High School principal, told the Curriculum, Instruction & Technology committee on Oct. 14 that the district’s first full year with a designated college-and-career counselor has produced measurable increases in student engagement.
"To date at this time last year we had roughly 140 kids sign up to attend college visits, and we're already up to 518," Jenkins said, attributing the rise to the counselor’s outreach and visible reminders such as TV displays and signage in the counseling window.
Jenkins described several steps that have accompanied the role: three parent evenings (one already held for financial aid), a Jan. 16 session for families of 11th graders, and a Feb. 13 event focused on testing policies as colleges reconsider test requirements. She also described a newly configured college-and-career counseling room created with temporary walls and PTO-grant-funded furniture to support small-group meetings with college representatives.
The principal said the district reviewed its school profile and confirmed, after attending National Association for College Admission Counseling sessions, that the board’s policy to retain the percentile is appropriate; the profile will be condensed and updated for next year but cannot be reprinted for the current year.
Board members thanked Jenkins and said the district will return with an evaluation at the end of the school year. No formal action was taken at the meeting; the update was informational.
Next steps: Jenkins and staff plan an end-of-year evaluation of the counselor role and continued outreach events through the spring.
