Counseling

Penn High School’s staff of professional school counselors is committed to supporting the academic, social/emotional, and career development of students.

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 council 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) in 2006 and 2019.

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.

Counseling Center Vision Statement – We believe that students deserve to be surrounded by caring adults, including licensed school counselors, who can support their academic, mental, and emotional needs.  We believe students should have continuous access to these services in a safe and equipped environment.   We believe students should have the ability to choose and engage in appropriate curriculum, based on their needs, preferences, and potential.  We believe students should have equitable access to opportunities that prepare them for post-secondary and life-long success.

Counseling Center Mission Statement – In partnership with parents and the community, the Penn High School Counseling Center is committed to keeping students a priority and focusing on their health, well-being and educational growth.  Through activities and programs, our students will find the services they need to pursue goals in their future. It is our goal to help students become responsible, contributing citizens.