Through in-house staff and collaborations with outside organizations, a number of Catholic schools across the Diocese of Camden offer students a range of holistic supports similar to those offered by public schools – including services like speech therapy, assistance with learning disabilities and mental health counseling services.
“Catholic schools have always strived to provide a solid education for their students, and now that includes providing many ancillary services in order to be viewed as a viable academic option as well as remain competitive with other school systems,” said Melissa Chesebro, advancement director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Berlin. “There has definitely been an increased need for these services in the last few years. Parents are becoming more aware of the importance of identifying their children’s educational strengths and weaknesses, and getting help when warranted.”
At Our Lady of Mount Carmel, students who might benefit from special services are identified by the school and, with permission from their parents, are evaluated by a Child Study Team from the Camden County Educational Services Commission. If any particular needs are identified – including supplemental education in math or reading, speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy – school leaders work to arrange for those services, which are provided by Commission staff and supported by state funding allocated to nonpublic school services.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel school also has a counselor one day each week, in addition to a number of retired reading specialists who volunteer to work with students there.
“These services are important to provide to students who need them because it allows parents to choose the family-like, community environment that many Catholic schools provide,” Chesebro said. “It allows parents to keep siblings together in the same school rather than place students separately. Our schools typically offer smaller class sizes that allow us to provide individualized attention to students.”
Indeed, many Catholic schools continue to have to fight for their students to get the resources they need, which is one reason why, currently, the state’s residents are being urged to contact the Governor’s Office to increase funding for compensatory education.
Known as Chapter 192, it has provided remedial instruction in language arts and mathematics for nonpublic school students since 1977. To contact Gov. Phil Murphy, go to njcatholic.org/faith-in-action.
Students attending Paul VI High School, Haddonfield, have access to a full-time mental health counselor who is on staff. While the school had a part-time counselor for several years, Connie McSherry was brought on after administrators noticed a rise in anxiety and depression among high school students.
“We developed my role to be both micro and macro – to see students individually for issues such as crisis, panic attacks and severe anxiety, as well as events such as a death in a family or addiction issues within a family, but also to impact the big picture,” McSherry said. “We started to work on ways to help lift the mental health of the PVI community, especially during and immediately following COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines when we returned to school.”
McSherry has helped to implement weekly recognition of faculty, staff and students, as well as spirit-building events. She has also facilitated events to show faculty how much they are appreciated.
“It is well known that anxiety has skyrocketed for adolescents and everyone following COVID-19, with statistics suggesting that anxiety and depression rates have doubled for 12- to 19-year-olds since it began,” McSherry said.
Saint Michael the Archangel Regional School, Clayton, partners with Gloucester County Special Services to assist students with various learning needs – including compensatory education for reading, writing and math; supplemental instruction, English as a Second Language; speech therapy and other services.
The school also has a guidance program with a full-time counselor available to students. The counselor also teaches through the Second Step Social-Emotional Learning curriculum, a program designed to help students succeed in the classroom and in their lives.
“The biggest benefit of having school counselors in Catholic grade schools is that they can help prepare students for academic and social challenges by relating their educational goals to their success in the future,” principal Ronald Ferraro said. “Counselors certainly encourage students to talk to their parents or guardians about the things that they are worried about. But when students would like to talk with someone about emotional or social problems, school counselors can offer individual counseling sessions with them. If there is a problem occurring with a group of students, a group counseling session might be beneficial for the students involved.”
Saint Mary School, Williamstown, also works with Gloucester County Special Services and has a full-time counselor on staff. Their counselor, Marie Berni, provides classroom instruction and assists individual students, working with families, teachers and administrators to ensure each student can be successful.
“There are oftentimes negative connotations associated with counseling. I strive to put an end to that way of thinking,” said Berni, who works with students in kindergarten through eighth grade. “I strive to help others understand that everyone can benefit from having someone to talk to and sort through their feelings with – no matter how young or old.”
Berni added, “If a child is having difficulty focusing on his or her schoolwork, it is our job to help that student obtain the best possible learning experience. Coping skills are key in trying to help a child make it through their school day while experiencing strong emotions.”
“The services, whether they’re counseling or Gloucester County Special Services, help our children to be well-rounded, healthy, happy and self-confident children,” said principal Patricia Mancuso.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
