New SHS Counseling Head Sees Role Beyond College Prep

It's not lost on the new counseling department chair of Scarsdale High School that many if not most students see the key role of his team as helping them in the college admissions process. Oren Iosepovici, however, has a bigger vision for his deans.

His goal for the department is to reinforce the support available to students from when they enter as freshmen to their departure as college-bound graduates.

"I see that as all of our roles, to allow the students to see us as a person who's there for their journey every day in high school, whatever issues that might come up," Iosepovici said in an interview in his office at SHS, adding that the counseling department is ready to help students with more than college-related issues. "One of our biggest challenges has been and continues to be supporting students in every respect, and allowing them to see their high school experience as an opportunity for learning and growth, and yes, making mistakes, rather than simply as a stepping stone to college."

Iosepovici, a counselor at SHS for nine years, is taking over from previous department head Andrea O'Gorman, who has assumed the responsibility of an assistant principal.

He explains his role simply as manager of the department. "We run a number of programs throughout the year, so I coordinate that. I see my role also as one basically to support all the deans in their ongoing work with students, faculty, and parents." However, Iosepovici stresses that his work does not stray too far from that of the deans. "As department head, I have the same exact responsibilities that any other dean would, just a smaller case load," he says. Regular deans have between 180-200 students.

"This new role causes me to examine issues from a completely different perspective," Iosepovici explains, about taking on the position. "The difference is that as individual counselors, the nature of our job is to see things from the confines of our office. As director, I must have a slightly more global approach." Iosepovici believes that being both a department head and a dean is important to his relationships with the students. Were he only the department chair, he wouldn't very well be able to interact with, and talk to, students everyday. By experiencing the daily high school life and day-to-day school rhythms, he believes he is better able to engage and help his students.

College is the culmination, not the essence

Iosepovici said that a big goal of his term is diverting the counseling department's spotlight from college admissions to creating a rich high school experience. The counseling office becomes especially hectic by the time college admissions season comes around - usually starting in junior year. Iosepovici recognizes the need to help students as much as possible but he seeks to make the counseling department more than just an aid for applications. "The college process is not the essence of our work, but it is simply the culmination of it," he says. "I can tell you unequivocally that our reason for joining this profession was to be there for students in every respect. That includes personal and social issues that play a role in all our students' lives."

Iosepovici and the rest of the counseling department want to remain as clear, visible and helpful as possible, he said. They aim to be approachable, knowledgable, and easy to talk to. He wants graduating students to feel like they all can trust at least somebody in the SHS staff by the time they've left the building. "I think there's more to being a teenager," Iosepovici says. "I think there's more to high school. I really hope that students see the high school experience much like I did, much like many adults have, as a time to grow, make mistakes, have fun.

"We value education, right? Then let's value all of it, not simply education as a means to the college process."