By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Standing beside a lectern during the Hillsborough Board of Education meeting on Monday, Angela Cleveland was beaming as friends, family, and students gathered to extol her contributions to the district after being named the 2017 New Jersey School Counselor of the Year., As the school counselor at Auten Road Intermediate School for the last decade, Cleveland’s colleagues praised her work with the fifth and sixth graders who attend., “[Cleveland] is passionately dedicated to the students and staff at Auten Road. She is well respected within the community and a pleasure to work with,” ARIS nurse Valerie Newman said. “She exemplifies the qualities of the dynamic leader by creating a nurturing, caring and engaging learning environment for students and co-workers.”, According to Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff, the accolade is given annually by the New Jersey Association of School Counselors to one professional who “represents the very best of counseling in the state.”, In order to be named the state’s School Counselor of the Year, Schiff said a potential winner must “implement a comprehensive, data-driven program; demonstrate leadership and collaboration; demonstrate continued professional development; represent school counseling in a professional manner; and maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.”, According to ARIS Principal Chris Carey, Cleveland earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education from William Paterson University in her undergrad years before returning there to get a Director of Guidance certificate later. She has since earned three master’s degrees: one in Instruction from The College of New Jersey, one in Organizational Leadership from Rider University and one in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania., Last year, Cleveland was named Somerset County Counselor of the Year. She has also been the recipient of the Outstanding Counselor Award from Mercer County Community College and the Unsung Hero Award from Carrier Clinics in previous years., “We are thrilled to have Angela represent not just Auten Road or Somerset County, but the state,” Carey said. “That’s a fantastic accomplishment.”, Along with her work as the school counselor, Cleveland also serves as ARIS’ anti-bullying specialist, a co-chair on the district’s Boro Safe Committee and as chairperson for ARIS’ Climate and Safety Team., “Angela [Cleveland] has an innate gift of connecting with people and making the feel at ease, not with her, but with themselves,” ARIS teacher Diane Lyons said., That innate ability to connect was also touted by Jane Caliguari and her daughter Gracie, who had been dealing with grief over the loss of her cousin Andrew Russoniello, who was killed after being struck by a motor vehicle back in August., Leading up to the start of the 2016-17 school year, Jane said her daughter was having a hard time dealing with that sudden loss in the family. After reaching out to Cleveland, Jane said things slowly but surely started working out for Gracie., “Not only did [Cleveland] respond promptly to my e-mail, she offered to have Gracie and me come in to school to meet with her,” Jean said. “She sacrificed her time on her first day, when things are generally hectic … when we arrived, she greeted us with a smile and a hug.”, Ever since then, Cleveland has regularly conducted check-ins with Gracie to see how she was faring in school. Though Jane admitted that there are still some tough mornings from time to time, Gracie said she was thankful for Cleveland’s continued support., “Mrs. Cleveland has done so much for my family and me. Not only has she helped me deal with the pain of losing my cousin, but she helped hundreds of kids with their pain and that’s truly amazing,” she said., Though she was happy to receive the praise and award, Cleveland said she was proud to be a counselor and to share that title with other talented men and women throughout the state., “As school counselors, we make sure that our students have a place in our schools, in our district, in our community, in our state, our country and our world – we make sure that everyone is included,” she said. “Being a school counselor is a huge responsibility and a great honor.”
