Congress Passes Sánchez Resolution: “National School Counseling Week” (Jan. 26, 2010)

Rep. Linda Sánchez urged her colleagues to join her in this important effort during a floor speech today, where she recognized two outstanding counselors from her district.

"Angela Castellanos of Santa Fe High School in Whittier, CA and Alex Paredes of Southeast High School in South Gate, CA are just two examples of counselors who do exceptional work every single day to help our students reach their highest potential," said Rep. Sánchez. "It is because of the unending dedication of counselors like Angela and Alex that children across our country succeed in becoming engineers, doctors, and even Members of Congress."

Sánchez noted that California's student to counselor ratio is a dismal 945 students to one counselor  almost four times the recommended ratio. School counselors play a vital role in the development of students on academic, social, and personal levels but unfortunately often find themselves the casualty of budget cuts.

"Our counselors do amazing, and often unrecognized, work," continued Sánchez. "Our communities are strengthened by the students who are championed by their school counselors. I hope that National School Counseling Week has a greater impact than just the recognition of outstanding counselors  I hope that it helps policymakers recognize that, to do well inside the classroom, students often need extra assistance outside the classroom."

View Rep. Sánchez' entire speech here


###