Vermont School Counselor Association upcoming events

Advocacy with Intention (Webinar) - Registration Coming Soon (24 Sep 2026)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Advocacy with Intention

Danielle R. Crankfield, 2026 School Counselor of the Year®, illustrates how an ASCA-aligned school counseling program becomes a steady anchor when the school counselor’s role is questioned, diluted or misunderstood. Drawing from her own professional journey, Danielle demonstrates how grounding your work in student-centered data, clearly defined program priorities and a confident professional presence allows school counselors to advocate boldly, without apology. This keynote empowers school counselors to move beyond using data defensively. Instead, participants learn to leverage data as an advocacy tool and elevate the school counseling program, communicate impact with clarity and make the value of their work unmistakable across the school community.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Understand how student-centered data anchors and guides an ASCA-aligned school counseling program.
Examine how program-focused data strengthens professional presence and clarifies impact.
Apply data-informed strategies to promote. elevate and amplify the value of the school counseling program.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

The first national School Counselor of the Year from Maryland, Danielle Crankfield is a school counselor and department chair at Crofton High School in Gambrills, Md. The school serves 1,900 students, grades 9–12. Crankfield, who has been a school counselor since 2010, received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University and a master’s degree in counseling (school counseling concentration) from Johns Hopkins University.

“Danielle represents the very best in professional school counseling from her commitment to her students’ academic, college/career and social/emotional success, to her reputation among her peers as Crofton High School’s ‘North Star,’” said Molly McCloskey, School Counselor of the Year Selection Committee member. “Her excellence is not only in what she does, but in the way she does it – authentically and with an eye toward meaningful, measurable results.”

In her school’s founding year, Crankfield disaggregated course enrollment data to determine whether the school had a course access gap, particularly in honors and Advanced Placement courses. The data showed that Black and Hispanic students were disproportionately taking standard-level courses rather than honors and Advanced Placement classes. To address this access gap, she created guidelines for middle and high school teachers to use when making core course recommendations. In addition, she collaborated with the testing coordinator and department chairs in several content areas to promote higher-level courses and honors and Advanced Placement electives that met students’ interests. “The school counseling department and I encouraged open access, which allows students and parents to request honors or Advanced Placement courses by choice, even when students are recommended for a different course level,” Crankfield said. “Over time, the course access gap decreased.”

Practical Facilitation: Running Effective Groups & Classroom Instruction (Webinar) - Registration Coming Soon (15 Oct 2026)

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Practical Facilitation: Running Effective Groups & Classroom Instruction (Curriculum/SEL)

In this engaging webinar, school counselors will learn practical strategies to plan and deliver effective classroom lessons and small group interventions. Learning will include how to easily apply the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success to lesson plans and data collection. Walk away with “how-tos” that will make your classroom lessons and small groups run smoothly, be memorable for your students, and drive results for your program.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Learn keys to effective data collection and lesson planning and how ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success” can help guide you.
Learn small group logistics (not just theory), and frameworks for successful facilitation.
Gain practical “how-to” strategies to engage students in Social and Emotional Learning, in classroom lessons and small groups such as games, hands-on activities, and role-play.
Build knowledge of classroom lesson push-in models and teaching strategies to strengthen SEL curriculum implementation including stations, and one teach/one assist.
Understand co-regulation and self-awareness practices to deepen connection, reduce student anxiety and improve outcomes.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Lisa Delgadillo has been a school counselor since 2013 and currently works at William G. Hibbard Elementary School in Chicago, Ill. She received a bachelor’s degree in photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Adler University and a professional educator license with the school counseling endorsement program from the Northern Illinois University School Counselor Institute.

In 2023, Delgadillo collaborated with her school’s social worker to spearhead a Five Senses Coping Skills unit, which was designed for classrooms with a high percentage of students new to the country. “We focused on supporting social/emotional needs and helping them build community with one another and with us,” Delgadillo said. “We led engaging activities using all five senses in coping strategies, such as listening to relaxing music, visualizing peaceful settings, working with clay to create artistic expression and mindfully tasting different flavors.” They incorporated community building with game playing and a field day. On the last day, students received Five Senses Coping Skills kits (sketchbooks, scented pencils, sour candy, bubbles) with reminders about the lessons. To measure the unit’s efficacy, they looked at the rate of referrals and administered Mindsets & Behaviors surveys. Both data sets showed that the intervention was effective and led to a dramatic decrease in referrals and a meaningful increase in students’ understanding of ways to cope with stress.

As the sponsor of the school’s Student Leadership Council, she supported students with projects that were important to them, including writing letters to elders in the neighborhood and creating welcome kits for new students. One activity the students were excited about was celebrating Pride month. They created posters with positive messages, wrote morning announcements, visited classrooms to talk about what Pride means to them and passed out rainbow pins to staff and students. Based on this enthusiasm, a Gender and Sexuality Alliance was created at Hibbard, and they plan to have a school Pride parade this year.

Advocacy and Building Sustainable School Counseling Systems (Webinar) - Registration Coming Soon (08 Apr 2027)

Thu, 08 Apr 2027 14:00:00 GMT

Advocacy and Building Sustainable School Counseling Systems

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Leka Anitema is a nationally recognized school counselor and 2026 finalist for the American School Counselor Association School Counselor of the Year. At Maui High School, Leka serves as post high counselor leading college, career, military and workforce readiness across schoolwide and statewide. Sometimes known as “Mama Leks,” shaped by her years as a soccer goalkeeper and protective leader, and “Auntie Aloha” for the care she shows to everyone, Leka is also known for pioneering efforts in early college access, Seal of Biliteracy advocacy, service as the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling Maui County representative, supporting workforce-bound graduates, and leading the growing MHS Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Raised on Maui as the child of an immigrant in a rural island community, Leka grew up with early responsibility and limited access to opportunity. No stranger to non-traditional education and life experience, she earned a degree in linguistics yet began her professional career as a human physiology teacher and science department chair before transitioning into school counseling during COVID, expanding her impact across educational systems and student pathways. A mother of four, she is a pioneer in expanding access, committed to removing barriers and ensuring opportunity is shaped by positive relationships, not geography or circumstance.