Counseling

CLEVER>NAVIANCE

Penn High School’s staff of professional school counselors is committed to assisting students and their parents with emotional, academic and post-secondary issues.

Office Hours: 7:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Monday – Friday

Phone: (574) 258-9502

Penn’s Counseling Office earned “Gold Star” status from the Indiana School Counselor Association in 2006, 2013, and 2018.

The Gold Star School Counseling Award indicates that a school counseling program is data-driven, held accountable, and impacts students across academic, career, and social/emotional domains. Schools collect data about student needs, examine the purpose and vision of the program, plan and organize services for students, and then create an exhaustive portfolio outlining their program. During the 2017-18 school year, an advisory counsel was formed by the counseling office to tackle this project. The counsel was made up of Penn High School staff members, students, parents, and community members representing diverse groups such as small business, mental health care, and economic development. This important designation shows that Penn’s counseling center is aligned with the best practices in school counseling. The counseling center strives to continually improve and adapt in order to provide the best services to our students!

The American Scholar Counselor Association (ASCA) has also named the Department a “Recognized ASCA Model Program” (RAMP).

The RAMP designation recognizes schools that are committed to delivering an exemplary comprehensive school counseling program. Honorees are awarded for aligning their program with the criteria in the ASCA National Model, a framework for a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling. Since the program’s inception, more than 820 schools have been designated as RAMP recipients. RAMP applications are reviewed once a year and assessed in 12 different program areas.

Penn’s Counseling staff is available to help students in a variety of ways. Here are some frequently asked questions that may help you understand the services we provide:

Q: My friend or student is feeling suicidal.  What should I do?

A: Please notify an adult immediately. After hours, call 911 immediately or take the student to the emergency room. Memorial Epworth is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (574) 647-8400.   Concern can also be reported through the Safe School Helpline 24/7.

Q: The grade listed on Skyward is incorrect, or my teacher made a mistake in calculating my grade. How is this addressed?

A: Counselors cannot change or round grades.  We ask that you contact the teacher directly by using the P-H-M voicemail directory at 574-259-7961.  You may also contact the main office at 574-258-9503 to speak with the Principal.

Q: I need my final transcript sent to my college/university.  How does this happen?

A: Seniors were given instructions to submit final transcript requests through Naviance.  Seniors can access Naviance by logging into their Clever accounts and clicking on the Naviance tile.  For a reminder on how to request the final transcript, watch this short video.

Q: When will my grades be finalized?  I would like a copy of my transcript.

A: Please contact the registrar beginning June 14 at 258-9502.

Q: My schedule is incorrect or I would like to change a class for the school year.  How do I do that?

A: Appointments with counselors may be made to address scheduling errors/omissions and level changes ONLY. Appointments will not be made to make changes to electives during the summer. To make an appointment, please contact Wendy Hayes at (574) 254-2851, or call (574) 258-9502. Counselors are available for appointments during the summer between 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Mondays through Fridays in August.  Appointments can be conducted both in-person or virtually this summer so when calling to schedule an appointment, please indicate your preference for the appointment format.  For simple schedule errors that can be addressed without a meeting, please email your alphabetically assigned counselor to work toward a solution.