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Colorful Restored Bottles
Renewing Hope: The Art of Student Restoration
Imagine for a moment that you have an old, weathered Coke bottle in your hands. The glass is chipped, the label faded and it looks like it’s been through years of wear and tear. Some might see it as useless, something to discard or overlook. But others can see the potential that exists within and know the true value it holds. They know that with the right care, that bottle can be restored and ready to serve a purpose.
As school counselors, we are in the restoration business. Every student who walks through the door, regardless of the baggage they carry or the rough edges they may show, has incredible potential. They are not finished products; they are works in progress. It is our privilege, our calling, to invest in their lives, to help them see the value they hold within.
Just like that Coke bottle, our students might come to us feeling worn out, overlooked or undervalued. They may have experienced hardships that have left them feeling broken or out of place. But we understand that restoration takes time, patience and care. We see beyond the surface to the potential that lies within.
Every time we listen to a student, offer support or simply show that we care, we are polishing away blemishes that life has left on them. We are helping them rediscover their worth, to see themselves as we see them – valuable, capable and full of promise.
We don’t just prepare students for the next grade or the next stage of life. We help them see that they are worth investing in and we help them regain their confidence, their hope and most importantly, we give them space to dream.
UPDATE: Date Change for First School Counselor Summit
There has been a date change for the first School Counselor Summit. The first School Counselor Summit will be held on Oct. 23. The summit will be focused on behavior, trauma and the school counselor.
Advance registration is required to attend the School Counselor Summit. We hope you can join us for learning that is developed specifically with you in mind.
Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) certificates will be provided.
National Suicide Prevention Month
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength around a difficult topic. We can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.
Suicide is a major public health concern. More than 47,500 people die by suicide each year in the United States. It is the 10th leading cause of death overall and the second leading cause for people ages 10-34.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) declared Sept. 8 as national 988 Day. 988 Day is a national initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and for emphasizing the importance of mental health and suicide prevention.
For more information about 988 Day, please visit the SAMHSA website.
Kentucky Youth Data
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is completed every two years, shows that in 2023, 18.6% of Kentucky high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, and 8.6% of Kentucky’s high school students attempted suicide in the previous 12 months.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Since its inception in July 2022, 988 has received more than 9 million contacts. When people call, text or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors who are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, provide support and connect them to resources if necessary. In the past year, 988 has expanded to provide specialized services for veterans, Spanish speakers and members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Kentucky Specific Resources
Available Training
The Kentucky Department of Education, along with the Department for Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities, offer Sources of Strength training for schools throughout the state.
Sources of Strength is a best practice youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying and substance abuse.
For information on Sources of Strength training, please contact Sheila Barnard.
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18.
Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults ages 18 and older, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary.
Those interested in more of these free training opportunities should contact Elizabeth Freeland.
Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Special Recognition for Military-Connected High School Graduates and Veteran Tuition Waiver Program
The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) awards certificates to high school graduates who are serving in the military, or if their parents served or are serving in the military.
This certificate is an important opportunity to recognize the unique circumstances experienced by military-connected students and their families. The KDVA typically provides the certificate to the school in April, but can accommodate any timeframe.
The department is developing a page on its website to make the request process more seamless.
The KDVA also offers a tuition waiver for Kentucky students to attend a public two- or four-year postsecondary institution or a vocational school in Kentucky if their parents or spouse meet certain Federal Veterans Affairs disability criteria. More details can be found on the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Tuition Waiver website.
For additional questions, contact Office of Veteran Services Executive Director Silas Session.
Kentucky Civic Seal
The Kentucky's Civic Seal recognizes and encourages informed civic engagement for K-12 students.
The research is clear. There are a wealth of positive academic and social outcomes for students who practice informed civic engagement during their K-12 experiences, particularly when addressing the issues important to them.
To foster these outcomes in Kentucky, the Kentucky Civic Seal was born!
Capitalizing on the state’s civic and social studies standards, the Civic Seal further encourages and incentivizes informed, engaged civic learning in and outside of the schooling context by recognizing students at all levels (elementary, middle and high schoolers); and across subject areas and contexts (e.g., extracurricular or after-school programs) for engaged citizenship.
The Civic Seal is a program in partnership between Kentucky's Secretary of State office and the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition, an organizing arm of the Kentucky Council for the Social Studies.
See more at: kycivicseal.org or email: kyciviced@gmail.com
Kentucky Advising Academy
The Kentucky Advising Academy (KAA) provides resources and training on post-secondary advising.
Resources and training are available at the August webinar, “From Applications to Admissions: An Overview of the College Admissions Process."
KAA recently released an on-demand learning module with a companion guide to help those in advising roles navigate the college application process. This short video module and companion guide supports advisors as they reflect on their current system for college application completion and offers resources to enhance current practices.
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