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New college and high‑school counselor outlines plans to broaden access and modernize student services
Summary
Stephanie Drugan, the district’s new college and high‑school counselor, told the Grandview Heights Schools board she has met many families, set up electronic scheduling and registration for college visits, and has 58 colleges scheduled to visit so far; she outlined plans for scholarship workshops, ACT prep and closer alumni tracking.
Stephanie Drugan, the Grandview Heights Schools’ new college and high‑school counselor, told the school board she has focused this month on building relationships with students and families and modernizing how the counseling office delivers services. “I’ve met individually with mature and it’s been lovely to talk to them about what their thoughts are for after high school,” Drugan said during the board’s meeting.
Drugan said she and the counseling team have introduced online tools to increase access: students can book appointments using Google Calendar, college visits are now registered through School Links, and scholarships will be listed centrally on the same platform. She said these steps let students sign up from home and make the counseling office more accessible outside school hours.
The counselor said 58 colleges have scheduled visits so far, and the district has added a rep‑visits website so admission representatives can book time with Grandview students directly. “Right now we have 58 colleges coming so far and we’re getting more bookings every day,” she said, adding the slate includes large universities, specialized programs and trade and cosmetology representatives.
Drugan described the department’s early outreach work: two evening presentations (one on financial aid), individual meetings with seniors and an intent to run a scholarship workshop in the second semester. She also proposed running an ACT prep class for juniors in February. “Some of the schools…may start turning to test required again, and I want to make sure that the juniors have more opportunities to be prepared,” she said.
Board members pressed Drugan on tracking graduate outcomes and how counselors divide caseload. Drugan said she will manage 11th–12th graders while colleague Brian Stork focuses on ninth and tenth grade, and that the two are coordinating closely. On graduate tracking, Drugan said it’s a known challenge for many districts and suggested formalizing alumni visits and surveys to capture how graduates fare after leaving Grandview Heights.
The presentation also covered career pathways: Drugan said the team is coordinating with the career/workforce coordinator and that efforts will include apprenticeships and job‑shadow opportunities in addition to college planning.
The board did not take action on the presentation. Drugan’s plans will feed into teaching and learning committee work and upcoming district outreach to families.
