BVA High School counselor brings fresh approach to career pathways
BELLE VERNON – High school counselor Stephanie McHugh uses a tree as a metaphor for her district’s approach to guiding students into a career after graduation.
The roots represent the high school curriculum and the courses a student selects as a way to figure out their interests, McHugh said Tuesday when she spoke to the Greater Rostraver Chamber of Commerce about Belle Vernon Area High School’s approach to guidance counseling.
The trunk supports the path to the tree branches and helps to lead students to a cluster of career opportunities that are out there, she said.
“The courses they select guide them into a pathway,” said McHugh, who is director of counseling services at the high school in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County.
“The goal is for them to see a system,” she said, adding that the process also helps to match students with the level of education they need for a job.
The school requires all seniors to perform a senior project that must include preparing for a job interview and shadowing a mentor in a career that might interest them.
“You need to show up on time for an interview and pass a drug test,” McHugh said. “You have to know how to shake a hand and know what the world of work demands.”
Jamie Protin, a director at Mackin Engineering Co. in Charleroi, said he embraces what the high school is doing, as he is mentoring senior David Legg, who plans to seek a mechanical engineering degree at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
“We do have a shortage in the engineering field,” Protin said.
He said there is a need for some students to attend a community college rather than college, and that jobs in the energy field are expected to increase in the area.
Meanwhile, chamber executive Gina Lynn said she enjoys working with the high school on finding mentors for the students.
“When you call and I can make a match it’s a good thing,” Lynn said.
McHugh said the program was added to the curriculum four years ago and that it has grown over the past two years. But she said not enough time has gone by to judge its success.
“I am busier than ever,” she said. “That’s a compliment that the students respect my advice.”