As soon as Rosalva Mendez walks out of her office at Lopez Middle School and into the halls, it’s obvious she’s making an impact.
“Hi, Mrs. Mendez!”
“Hey, Mrs. Mendez!”
There’s “hi’s” followed by hugs.
The students at Lopez know the counselors there.
“One thing I’m super proud of here--I know the kids, and they all know the counselors; they know who we are,” said Mendez. “They see us every day, every day, every day in the cafeteria and hallways or the classrooms.”
Mendez is the lead counselor at Lopez.
She’s been with North East ISD for 22 years.
For Mendez, relationships are everything.
That’s why the “hi’s” in the hallways mean so much.
And it’s also why there are so many.
Mendez and her team use every opportunity to connect with the kids.
“I really use lunchtime as an opportunity for me to build those relationships with kids. I don’t just stand there and just watch; I walk around interacting with them, talking to them about their weekend, or asking what’s going on in their life. All the kids to see us. They’ll tell us whatever’s going on, and it’s the kids that we normally wouldn’t see.”
NEISD counselors can certainly help with academic questions. But they can also offer students strategies for dealing with various issues. And Mendez has found that she can be more effective and help more kids by starting with a “hi” in the hallway.
“I think we’ve built a strong sense of a welcoming and nurturing environment on our campus,” said Mendez. “You know, they’re great kids, and there’s nothing that we wouldn’t do for them. If we can do it, we’ll do it. We just love them.”
Feb. 7-11 is recognized as National School Counseling Week, to focus attention on the unique contribution of school counselors and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do.
Join us in thanking Rosalva and all North East ISD counselors for all they do for our students.
