• Ms. Jenna Pizzo 

    I am an optimistic person and believe in seeing the best in people. My ambition as a school counselor is to help each student work to their potential and also to assist parents and teachers in achieving this goal. My experiences in a middle school setting have provided me with success in helping students to identify and change their way of thinking and beliefs. In addition, I have assisted students to be aware of automatic thoughts and have implemented behavioral techniques and cognitive modification.  

    I feel that structured, directive sessions and implementing a variety of techniques, including journal writing and art therapy, have produced positive results and have opened lines of communication. I feel strongly that collaborative effort between the counselor, student, parents/guardians, administration, and teachers is necessary for student success and happiness.

    My degrees and certifications include: BA in English, MS in Educational Technology, MS in School Counseling, and Certifications in Elementary Education and English.  Additionally, I am a certified Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC).  I have been part of the George White family for almost 20 years and am very excited to continue this venture!

     "Kindness is the highest form of intelligence." -Wayne Teasdale

     

     

  • Mrs. Jennifer Reese

    Before becoming a School Counselor, I taught for over ten years in the classroom (Grades 5-8). As a dedicated educator, my goal was always to promote a student’s self-esteem and to empower a student to use his/ her strengths to his/ her best benefit. I helped my students to realize their potential by focusing on their accomplishments, building on their past successes, and encouraging them to achieve higher goals which, thereby, promoted their positive self-concept.

    Now, as a School Counselor, my goal is to make the students that I counsel trust my concern for their wellbeing and understand that they are valuable, vital, and unique individuals. By focusing on a student’s strengths and successes, I encourage each student that I counsel to recognize their potential, believe in their self-worth, and move forward with self-confidence and positivity.   

    I love making connections with all of my students so that they feel safe and comfortable talking with me about things, growing into who they want to be and deciding what they might want to do in their future. Amazingly, I get to be part of that process as their School Counselor here at George White, and it is wonderful to get to watch them discover themselves and grow into becoming young adults. 

    Having been a member of the George White Middle School family for almost 20 years, I am very familiar with our school curriculum, our district’s policies, and the expectations we have for our students.  Further, as a seasoned educator, I understand the ways in which students develop and how their learning is enhanced by family, school, and community collaboration. As a School Counselor, I help to develop, to promote, and to effect creative and practical teamwork within the school and the larger community.

    Teaching and counseling have the same goal--the best possible future for each and every student. I believe that both professions are laudable and worthy. Therefore, I am proud to have called myself a teacher, and now, I am proud to call myself a School Counselor.

    My degrees and certifications include: BA in English, MS in Curriculum, MS in School Counseling, and Certifications in Elementary Education and Middle School Language Arts.

    I additionally am a National Certified Counselor (NCC). 

       

    “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson