Mrs. Zdeba's Message

I have been the part-time counselor at Mesquite High School since the 1987-88 school year. I have always enjoyed working with high school youth. It has been a delight to see the growth in Mesquite students. I am constantly amazed at the success of each individual student and the sense of pride when he/she walks across the stage to receive his/her diploma. It is in that moment when I realize the ultimate reward that my job fulfills.

 

The majority of students that we enroll are behind in credits. I am responsible for the scheduling of students that best meet his/her academic goals. The enrollment procedure includes a session on their credit status and practical goals to make up credits. Our students are encouraged to make up credits through Adult school and afternoon classes like ROP, Elementary TA, community service, and Cerro Coso concurrent classes. Additionally, each student is given a career survey that identifies his or her current interests and abilities.

Seniors are offered the Cerro Coso College orientation, placement test, financial aid information, scholarship information, and enrollment opportunities in the spring. I have helped students choose correct classes for general education and majors. Students not interested in CC are counseled into other training and/or college opportunities.

The Education and Careers Opportunities System is available to all graduating seniors. The program is an internet based program to teach students about careers, resumes, colleges, and the application process. The non-seniors are given a career survey through Princeton Review in their advisory periods. If any student would like more information on the careers they have identified in the inventory, they can schedule a time with me to explore more options and information about the career.

I have offered many different groups to refine social skills. The last three years we have targeted anger management and felt that this has been the most pressing need of our students. Each quarter anger management classes are offered to approximately ten to fifteen students. These students have been identified through a self-referral process as well as a teacher referral process. Fortunately, the students like participating in the group and have made every effort to attend their one period a week class. Individual counseling has been conducted on a teacher and self-referral process. My time is divided between academic, personal and career counseling, registrar duties, and coordinating standardized testing.