CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL • ENTER TO LEARN, LEAVE TO SERVE
FALCON FAMILY NEWS Dear families: When I look back to what it means to be a true Lasallian, I can’t help but look back and thank my old teacher and colleague Mr. Joe Gill.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
As a new counselor back in 2009, Mr. Gill taught me a very important lesson, one that still guides my work as a counselor today. I was getting ready to facilitate an academic intervention meeting for a student who was struggling with his grades. All his teachers were required to be there, and when faced with the prospect of having Mr. Gill present; well, the student was a bit nervous. My task was to go find Mr. Gill, let him know of the students concerns, and hopefully encourage Mr. Gill to “go easy on the kid”. So, I marched over to his classroom, and he was nowhere to be found. I went to the locker room, no such luck. Looked out on the baseball fields, not there either. When I doubled back to the gym, and peeked through the door windows, I spotted him talking to what looked like his PE class. I began to unlock the door, but I decided to pause for a moment. I looked at the students and they were completely engrossed in what he was saying. Every single student, sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking up, and listening. I was too far away to hear what he was saying but either way, something told me to stop and let the moment be. My message could wait; let Mr. Gill finish his lesson and give him the space to say what he needs to say. I watched with awe as he held his students’ attention in a way that was uniquely his own.Whether those students would remember that moment, I would never know. It was truly just a small moment in time, but it taught me this important lesson: sometimes all the Lasallian mission needs is room to breathe. That moment didn’t require me to talk and act; it needed me to back up, listen, and give my colleague the room he needed to let his Lasallian charism shine. As a counselor, it is a constant balance between acting and listening that makes our vocation so special.We are trained, veteran counselors trained in the best practices of personal, college, and academic interventions.We work everyday to meet the needs of our entire community and collaborate on a very high level, to impart academic support, college advising, and wellness strategies to the entire community. But we also know when to listen, step back and listen to what our students are saying, and give the students entrusted to our care the room and space to breathe. In the world of college counseling, we have Mrs. April Melarkey and Ms. Melissa McClellan. Our wellness program consists of Mrs. Emily McDougall and Mrs. Juanita Patterson ‘81. Mrs. Michelle Timm, Mr. Riley-Portal, Mr. Purdy, and I round out the four grade-level counselors. Mrs. Cynthia Grajeda keeps us all running smoothly as our counseling administrative assistant. We have over 100 years of combined service to this institution, and many more years in the profession outside of CB. 16 of our own children are graduates or are current Falcons. We are coaches, Lasallian Educators of the Year, retreat leaders, club leaders, program directors, and familiar faces all around campus. We are also known to put on quite the Halloween party (this past year’s Ghostbusters-themed celebration was another hit)! Thank you, Mr. Gill, for teaching me that important lesson. Learning when to act and when to listen is a cornerstone lesson for our entire department and we as counselors promise to lend a listening ear, watchful eye, and open heart to each and every student entrusted to our care. God’s Blessings,
Armando Diaz ‘94, MA, PPS Counseling Department Chair, Grade-Level Counselor for the Class of 2024 Falcon Family News | April 2024
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