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Counselors outline career‑readiness plan, note only 7% of students name school staff as top career influence
Summary
Northern Cambria SD counselors told the board they use ASCA standards, the Smart Futures program and Act 158 pathways to prepare students; presenters highlighted a survey finding that 7% of students cite school staff as their main career influence while 67% cite parents.
Melissa Mryi, the high‑school counselor, told the Northern Cambria School Board on March 17 that the district’s K–12 counseling work follows the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standards and Pennsylvania guidance and is tracked through the state PIMS system.
"I'm Melissa Mryi … high school counselor for grades 9 to 12," Mryi said, and walked the board through the Smart Futures online program the district uses from grade 2 through 12, plus the Chapter 339 guidance plan the district will submit for board approval in April or May. She said the program combines academic, career and social‑emotional domains and builds a digital student portfolio over time.
The presentation highlighted an IU8 “youth force” survey of high‑school students that found about 7% of respondents listed school staff as their primary career influence while 67% listed parents or family. "Only 7% of the students that completed this survey cite school staff as their number one career influence versus 67% that cite their parents," Mryi said, noting the finding shapes how the district targets outreach and family engagement.
Mr. Roar, who summarized graduation pathways under Act 158, said the law allows multiple routes to demonstrate readiness. "There’s it's kind of two‑sided," he said, describing the district credit requirements plus one of several career pathways: a technical certification, alternative assessments, qualifying SAT/AP/ASVAB scores, acceptance to an accredited postsecondary institution or employer‑guaranteed employment as acceptable evidence of readiness.
Counselors described hands‑on exposure—hospital observation, Votech partnerships, job shadows, a Disney academic trip and presentations by the Hope Volunteer Fire Company—as core tools to broaden students’ career awareness. Mryi said the district also runs freshman seminar as a required ninth‑grade course and a senior graduation project featuring an oral career presentation; senior presentations were scheduled for early April.
The counseling team said it will finalize the Chapter 339 guidance plan and present it to the board for approval in April or May. The school will continue using PIMS reporting and the Smart Futures platform to document career‑readiness indicators.
