SHS Guidance Mission

The Guidance and Counseling Department at Salem High School offers a comprehensive range of activities and services.  The major components of our services are emphasized in our vision statement, “To Provide for the Social, Emotional, Career, and Educational Development of all Students.”  Seven counselors are available to respond to students and educate them on a variety of issues that arise in their academic and personal lives.  Classroom guidance activities, large and small group counseling, consultation with parents, teachers, administrators, and community members, referrals to community agencies, and crisis intervention activities are included in the everyday services available.

Individual career planning with students and their parents begins in the ninth grade and continues through graduation.  The course selections that students make should be part of a focused sequence of classes that will prepare students upon graduation for a career choice that matches their skills, values, and interests.  Whether the path to reach a student’s career goal includes a two- or four-year college, the military, or entry into the work world, the courses a student selects should help him/her reach that goal.

Many resources and services are available in the guidance office to assist students and parents with college and career planning.  From college handbooks and computer software programs to informational nights on the college application process and financial aid, the guidance office houses a wealth of useful information.  The guidance department also organizes several mini-college fairs during the year.  College admissions representatives from various universities come to SHS with literature on their institutions.  This is an excellent opportunity for students to collect information and speak to the admissions representatives about the schools that interest them.

Students can prepare themselves for the world of work by participating in Salem High’s School-To-Careers Internship Program.  Guidance counselors can help students plan for an internship experience.  All student placements in this program will be made with the assistance of our Community Liaison, Linda Michalczyk.  These activities can include job shadowing, paid and non-paid work experiences and internships.  These possibilities will be determined by availability, student performance, and career direction.

Our goal is that guidance and counseling activities will help all students to achieve their greatest academic, social, and personal potential.