Western Suffolk Counselors Association - WSCA

07/19/2025

Professional School Counselors need to understand, and be able to communicate, the benefits of this holistic vision of our students. They deserve a deep education that highlights how they can, individually and successfully, contribute to society as adults.

🎓 Today, NYSED staff presented a revised New York State Portrait of a Graduate to the Board of Regents — a significant step in the “New York Inspires” plan to transform education across the state. https://bit.ly/4lu1rEw

This guiding framework outlines the essential skills and knowledge all students should demonstrate by the time they graduate high school, helping to shape a more equitable and future-ready education system.

07/08/2025

WSCA is so proud of the work we did this year. Take a look at some of the things we accomplished. It was a busy year filled with professional development opportunities and financial support for Suffolk County students. We were able to give $10,000 to deserving students.

07/01/2025

Another school year down. As all of you are hopefully enjoying the hot summer weather, your WSCA executive council is hard at work planning enriching and valuable activities for the upcoming year. A HUGE thank you to outgoing president Sarah Taiclet. She was instrumental in moving the association forward. We are looking forward to Peter Franzese's leadership for the next two years.

06/10/2025

The best of the best! Our Annuals Awards Celebration had the best counselors, best administrators, best weather, best food...ok you get it...we had the BEST time.

Congratulations to Diana Bonilla of Huntington SD and Stacy Murphy of Amityville SD who were recognized as Counselors of the Year. Dr. Ricky Papandrea (Huntington) and Annmarie Freund (Smithtown) were recognized as Administrators of the Year. It was inspiring to listen to their nominators extol the numerous virtues of these professionals.

WSCA also had the chance to honor Gloria Schetty-Plante who served as WSCA's Office Manager for many years. Her retirement leaves a void in the association that will be tough to fill.

Rob Citrano, Rob Pertusati and Karen Skoldberg were recognized for their professionalism and invaluable years of service to the thousands of students they helped. We look forward to their continued involvement in retirement.

The College and Career Fair Committee thanked Gary Campanelli for his tremendous support with the two fairs this past year. Student participation doubled and we were able to give exponentially more money in scholarships.

Working with young people is a noble calling. WSCA is proud to support the professionals who heed it.

05/19/2025

With a commitment to sensitivity, security, and access, the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) has launched a new application pathway for eligible students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens who do not want to complete a FAFSA due to concerns related to the privacy of their information, but want to apply for New York State financial aid.

This application offers a clear and secure pathway for impacted students to access many New York State grants and scholarships, including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), without requiring them to complete the FAFSA.

While this path provides access to many New York State financial aid programs, it’s important to note that students who apply for state-funded financial aid through this path, will not be eligible for the NYS Excelsior Scholarship or the Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA) program, both of which require a completed FAFSA as part of their application process. They will also not be eligible for federal financial aid, including the Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, and federal student loans, unless they submit a FAFSA.

Updated guidance, eligibility criteria, and FAQs are available on the application information page. We encourage you to review these resources and share them with students and families who may benefit from them. FAQ's: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/altpath

HESC will host an update meeting on May 29, 2025, to provide a full overview of the new pathway, share training opportunities, answer questions, and discuss how we can work together to support students and families throughout the process. Register: https://ny-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_q9rSTDlZQeyHYdrHCqYyzw #/registration

Together, we can ensure every student in New York has the opportunity to pursue higher education, regardless of background or circumstances.

05/16/2025

05/13/2025

Don't miss out!!

We have so many amazing professionals in our departments doing exciting and dynamic things. Nominate them to be recognized with a WSCA annual award.

1. WSCA Administrator of the Year - nomination form: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfBcJCcMIf.../viewform...

2. WSCA Counselor of the Year - nomination form: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfWX6k7EfJUF4.../viewform

3. WSCA Exemplary Practice of the Year - nomination form:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSeLjxNO6AXxy1.../viewform

Applications are due no later than Friday, May 16

You can register to attend the event here:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfq3tt4w.../viewform

05/08/2025

Congratulations to Matthew Grunhaus of St. John the Baptist High School. He is the winner of the scholarship we awarded to one lucky attendee at last week's Western Suffolk Counselors' Association's College and Career Fair.

Wonder which district's student will win on October 16th at our next fair. 🤔

05/07/2025

Another amazing night with the best college reps in the world! Hundreds of families attended our Spring College and Career Fair. Lots of information was shared, and the food did not disappoint.

Thank you to Hauppauge HS for being the most gracious host! Photo credit to Matthew Kunkel and Kavish Kumar. They were two student volunteers that helped us capture the magic. Also our amazing committee members.

Make sure you don't miss us next year:

October 16th
April 20th

Mark your calendars 🤩

05/06/2025

Congratulations to all of the counselors who have decided to retire at the end of this year!!! Please fill out the following survey so we can keep in touch.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RNeAhhzRGrhapxw2bnVBheV2GH-9KUwt3FxU0_r8tCk/viewform?edit_requested=true

If you know any counselors who are retiring this year, please let them know about the survey and forward their names to us. We will be honoring them at the annual awards luncheon on June 2nd.
You can comment below or email us at wsuffolkcounselors@gmail.com

05/05/2025

OWU, the College of Wooster, and Allegheny College will be co-hosting a Liberal Arts Loop Tour during NACAC in the Fall. The tour will run from Sunday to Tuesday (tours on Monday and Tuesday), and costs of hotels, transportation, and food throughout the loop will be covered!

Registration is officially live and expected to fill up fairly quickly. They would love to have some Long Island representation on the tour, and it might be a great opportunity for some counselors to see campus as a follow up to the presentation we shared in December! The registration link can be found here:

05/02/2025

We are excited to open up nominations for our annual awards!!

Please consider nominating exceptional individuals and programs for the following:

1. WSCA Administrator of the Year - nomination form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBcJCcMIfYXclE8jXCxg2wmm_4wggnYvasYWt87f2BnXwPzA/viewform?pli=1

2. WSCA Counselor of the Year - nomination form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWX6k7EfJUF49lqqc5WmaEwqX595U75N5zZ1gVbHYNo8J6ag/viewform

3. WSCA Exemplary Practice of the Year - nomination form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLjxNO6AXxy1uubdUyZnfx9gY9yGY33pYkh2eH2_1DLXE7Vw/viewform

Applications are due no later than Friday, May 16

You can register to attend the event here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq3tt4w-wFcGKVpYyutHb3RzRdkNOVBDUiTbioKLBsmqFWCA/viewform