Laurie Mitchell Receives NYSPTA Life Membership Award

(Long Island, N.Y.) West Babylon resident Laurie Mitchell (photo right), Guidance Chairperson for the Lynbrook Schools, grades 6 through 12, received a New York State Parent Teachers Association (NYSPTA) Honorary Life Membership Award at Lynbrook High School during the district’s Founders’ Day Celebration.

Ms. Mitchell is a familiar face to the parent community through frequent personal contact, involvement in parent orientations, as an 8th grade orientation panelist, and through the many presentations she has made to the High School PTA and district PTA Council. She accomplishes all of this while simultaneously maintaining her caseload of high school students.

In her role as Chairperson, Ms. Mitchell is responsible for overseeing Guidance programs and events for approximately 1,800 students and their parents. Under her supervision; the Guidance Department has enjoyed a very productive relationship through the years with the parent community. She believes that “parents are an essential part of understanding how to best service the needs of our students. We are part of the same team which supports students through their ever-changing lives as an adolescent.”

Ms. Mitchell’s most critical responsibilities include daily supervision of the academic, social and emotional needs of the students within the district, through individual counseling, chairing of weekly IST meetings, crisis intervention, collaboration with parents, teachers and administration, college and career planning, and coordination of transitions from middle school to high school and into college or employment. A dedicated professional with a keen sense of humor, she is a mentor and compassionate leader for the Guidance Counselors and Social Workers.

ABOUT MS. MITCHELL
Beyond the Lynbrook School District, Laurie Mitchell is involved in several organizations, including Nassau Guidance Directors, South Shore Consortium of Guidance Directors, Nassau Counselors Association, National Association for College Admissions Counselors, New York Counselors Association, American School Counselors Association, and the Association for Curriculum and Development.

She received her certification in School Building Leadership and her Master’s degree in School Counseling from Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, and a Masters in Business Administration and Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Dowling College. She is a graduate of Commack High School North.