Jillian Shadis School Counselor of the Year
The New Jersey School Counselor Association
The New Jersey School Counselor Association (NJSCA) School Counselor of the Year program honors the best of the best in New Jersey — school counselors who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program at either the elementary, middle or high school level. This year’s school counselor of the year candidates completed an extensive application process and were judged by a panel of counseling professionals on multiple criteria, including school counseling innovations, effective school counseling programs, leadership skills, and contributions to student achievement.
NJSCA is proud to announce this year’s New Jersey School Counselor of the Year is Jillian Shadis, Director of School Counseling and New Providence High School Counselor for the New Providence School District. A school counselor since 2004, Shadis has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling, both from The College of New Jersey.
When Shadis started in the New Providence School District four years ago, she had one mission: to transform their “guidance” department into a true, comprehensive school counseling program. Thanks to her work, the school counseling program is now designed to reach all students in a proactive, preventive manner and support those with specific social/emotional and/or academic needs using a tiered approach. The school counseling department works as a team with other departments, various school and town committees, and students themselves. The culture of a school, district and/or community does not change overnight, but the New Providence School District has come a long way from the guidance department it was four years ago thanks to Shadis’ work.
“Knowing that I, perhaps in some small way, changed a student’s life for the better is one of the most rewarding things about being a school counselor,” Shadis said. “Sometimes, if I’m lucky, a student or parent will tell me directly that I’ve had a positive effect, but more often than not, I don’t really realize it unless I stop to think about it. It’s often in the progress of a student – academically, behaviorally, emotionally or otherwise – that I can see my influence. It may be minute, but that’s OK. They may not realize it, and that’s also OK. When it’s there, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Shadis is a member of ASCA, the New Jersey School Counselor Association, the Union County School Counselor Association, the Somerset County School Counselor Association, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and The College of New Jersey Alumni Association.
Courtesy photo
